Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Kelechi Nwakali, a new invitee to the Super Eagles team to the 2022 Cameroon Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON), has said that the country is going for the title in the competition. He expressed delight at being part of the team despite not playing during the qualifiers, and believes that Coach Augustine Eguavoen's style of play will allow every player to be active on the field of play. He also believes that his special talent of giving long passes will help the Eagles at the AFCON.

The opening group match between the Super Eagles and The Pharaohs of Egypt was the first major game to be played in Benguela, a tiny city ravaged by the impact of the 22-year civil war in Angola. On the eve of the encounter, the late Coach Shuaibu Amodu expressed optimism that no matter what happened, the Eagles would fly high above The Pharaohs. The team was loaded with top stars and was tipped as one of the teams to win the tournament. The Estadio Nacional de Ombaka Stadium was filled to capacity with fans, particularly market women and school children waiting for the kickoff of the highly anticipated Group C challenge. The Eagles had to dig deep to book qualification into the next stage of the AFCON, but this came at a huge cost. At the Angola 2010 tournament, the Eagles became the most travelled team of the tournament, traversing from Benguela to Lumbago, and later to Luanda, before returning to Benguela for the third-place match against Algeria. Despite the drums and motivational songs from members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, the Eagles failed to put their acts together and conceded a second goal in the 54th minute. Mohamed Gedo confirmed victory three minutes from full-time to end the tie 3-1.

The opening group match between the Super Eagles and The Pharaohs of Egypt was the first major game to be played in Benguela, a tiny city ravaged by the impact of the 22-year civil war in Angola. On the eve of the encounter, the late Coach Shuaibu Amodu expressed optimism that no matter what happened, the Eagles would fly high above The Pharaohs. The team was loaded with top stars and was tipped as one of the teams to win the tournament. The Estadio Nacional de Ombaka Stadium was filled to capacity with fans, particularly market women and school children waiting for the kickoff of the highly anticipated Group C challenge. The Eagles had to dig deep to book qualification into the next stage of the AFCON, but this came at a huge cost. At the Angola 2010 tournament, the Eagles became the most travelled team of the tournament, traversing from Benguela to Lumbago, and later to Luanda, before returning to Benguela for the third-place match against Algeria. Despite the drums and motivational songs from members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, the Eagles failed to put their acts together and conceded a second goal in the 54th minute. Mohamed Gedo confirmed victory three minutes from full-time to end the tie 3-1.

Former Arsenal star Rachel Yankey has warned the Lionesses to prepare for a tough knockout game against Nigeria at the Women's World Cup. The Lionesses, who remain unbeaten in Australia and New Zealand, have secured a victory over China in their final group game. England secured a victory over China, emerging winners of Group D after winning all three games. The Lionesses, who were underdogs in their last visit to Brisbane, are expected to face the 11-time African champions in the highly anticipated clash in Brisbane next Monday. Yankey believes Nigeria's style of football will be tough, but she is pleased with the team's goals and the rotation of players. The last time the two countries met in the tournament was in the group stage 28 years ago, with the Lionesses edging the contest 3-2 to progress to the knockout stages.

Nigeria is home to some of the greatest footballers in the world, such as Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Finidi George. Despite this, there is a lack of progression from the grassroots level to the senior team. This is changing, as some of the current crop of players have played together at the U-17 level, leading to the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, where Kelechi Nwakali was awarded the golden ball and Victor Osimhen scored 10 goals. Iheanacho and Awoniyi recreated a celebration from nine years ago for the Golden Eaglets after giving Nigeria the lead against Egypt at the AFCON tournament. MTN Nigeria has made investments in Nigerian football, including a three-day coaching clinic for 128 young players and 30 coaches, a partnership with LaLiga, and a three-year multi-million naira partnership deal with the Nigerian Football Federation.

Nigeria and Egypt served up arguably the best match so far in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroun, but the Super Eagles' inability to convert the chances they created was the down side. Kelechi Iheanacho scored a solitary strike after 30 minutes to settle the contest, but Nigeria should have added at least a couple more goals in what was the best performance so far and a warning to their rivals. Coach Austin Eguavoen had a simple strategy to shut off Mo Salah, control the midfield and hit them from the flanks. Moses Simon was the Man of the Match, with a blistering performance down the left flank. Nigeria had the pick of the chances and former Liverpool forward Taiwo Awoniyi found the underside of the bar early in the second half. Egypt pressed for the equaliser and goalkeeper Mohammed El Shenawy was called into action to smother substitute Chidera Ejuke's effort before the full-time whistle blew. The result comes as a blow to Egypt's hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Nigeria's victory over Egypt sets the Super Eagles up for a better Round of 16 matchup and a deep run in the tournament, while Egypt will feel added pressure in its other group stage matches. Austin Eguavoen expressed satisfaction with the team's game plan, which included keeping the ball and cutting Salah off the ball. He said the victory is the beginning of Nigeria's good run in the competition, and the Eagles' technical crew will approach every game like it is a final.

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has been awarded the Best African Player award at the Ghana Football Awards, ahead of Treble winner Riyadh Mahrez and Mohammed Salah. Osimhen scored 31 goals in all competitions last season, helping Napoli win the Serie A title for the first time in over three decades. His best season as a professional player has seen him scoop awards and break records. Osimhen thanked the organisers for the award and promised to make Africa proud. His brilliant season also saw him win the top scorer award with 26 goals and break George Weah's record as the African with the highest number of goals in Serie A history.