Substitute Fisayo Dele-Bashiru saved Nigeria from disgrace on Friday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria managed to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Libya, moving to seven points from three games in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Libya adopted a defensive strategy, aiming for a draw, but Nigeria’s persistence paid off in the 86th minute as Dele-Bashiru converted Moses Simon’s cross, sending the spectators into jubilation.
The win marked interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen’s second victory in three AFCON 2025 qualifiers. Nigeria’s poor finishing and a contentious offside call had threatened to deny them the three points.
Football fans were happy that the
Super Eagles were left off the hook by Dele-Bashiru, who scored the solitary goal that gave his side an edge over the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.
Despite getting all the chances in the game, the Knights frustrated the Super Eagles from the blast of the whistle with the first half ending goalless.
The two teams returned in the second half with the away team maintaining their bus parking performance while the Super Eagles continued to ask all the questions but failed to get the breakthrough.
Ademola Lookman thought he had put the team ahead in the 83rd minute but the goal was chalked off for offside with replay showing it was a legitimate goal.
Lookman exchanged passes with Samuel Chukwueze, who came into the game in the second half, and, on the return pass, the Atalanta man slotted the ball past the Libyan goalkeeper.
However, with few minutes to the end of the game, Lazio star, Dele-Bashiru, scored the solitary goal that gave the Super Eagles the maximum three points.
The Super Eagles got four points from their first two games of the qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda and now top of the table with seven points from three games.
Nigeria will travel to Libya for the second leg scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, with a win likely to secure the team’s qualification for 2025 AFCON billed for Morocco.
