Nigeria advanced to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a comfortable win over Cameroon. Ademola Lookman was the man to seal the spot in the last eight, as he netted early in the match and added a second late in the contest. Cameroon were unable to find a way past the Nigeria defence, as The Super Eagles kept their hopes of AFCON glory alive.
Nigeria’s forward #18 Ademola Lookman (L) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with Nigeria’s forward #9 Victor Osimhen during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 round of 16 football match between Nigeria and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny S
In the 36th-minute, Lookman was played through by Victor Osimhen and his shot squeezed through goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who was chosen ahead of Manchester United’s Andre Onana.
Inspired by the lively Osimhen, Nigeria continued to create chances after the restart as Lookman’s free-kick agonisingly whistled over the bar.
However, an injury to goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili – who did not have a save to make before his departure in the 75th minute – slightly soured the night for Jose Peseiro’s side.
The Golden Boot winner of the 2021 edition, Vincent Aboubakar was introduced for his first appearance of the tournament but with just over 10 minutes of normal time remaining, the Cameroon striker failed to have any influence.
Lookman secured victory with a tidy finish from Calvin Bassey’s cross in stoppage-time and Nigeria can now look forward to a meeting with Angola.
It has been a campaign to forget for five-time winners Cameroon, who crash out without a fight. Having only sneaked through the group stages following a damaging 3-1 loss to Senegal and a desperate comeback victory over Gambia, Rigobert Song’s side were outplayed by a dominant Nigeria.
The Super Eagles were inspired by Osimhen, who had been under pressure to shine after three underwhelming performances in the group stages. While he was unable to add to his solitary goal in the tournament, the African Player of the Year created the opener and asked questions of the opponents’ defence all evening.
Should he replicate this kind of performance further in the tournament, Nigeria will feel they have every chance of winning a fourth AFCON title.
