AFCON 2023: Nigerians speak ahead Super Eagles opener against Equatorial Guinea

Fans of the Super Eagles have expressed mixed feelings as Nigeria gears up for the opening 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) game against Equatorial Guinea at the Allasane Ouatara Olympic Stadium on Sunday.
Speaking to Peoples Gazette, Tobi, who came from France for the tournament, said he was expecting nothing less than a win for Nigeria as that is the bare minimum they need to do to advance to the next stage of the competition.
“I am expecting a win Nigeria to win,” he said. “This is the minimum they would need to do in order to advance in the competition and give back confidence to the fans, so I expect them to win convincingly,” he added.
Meanwhile, Oluwayemi is not optimistic about Nigeria winning convincingly, citing the performance of Equatorial Guinea in the past year, in which they did not lose any game.
Oluwayemi predicted a 2-1 for Nigeria but maintained the quality of their today’s opponents cannot be overlooked, citing the not-too-convincing performance in Nigeria’s goalkeeping and defending departments.
“Today’s game is not going be like as people are thinking a game against Equatorial Guinea would be because they have compact and going ten games without losing is massive,” he said.
He added, “Coming into the competition, they are the underdog, but they can cause upset given our shambles in the goalkeeping position and the defence line. It will be a Super Eagles game, but I expect it to be a close call.
Host nation Côte d’Ivoire have taken an early lead in Group A after the Elephants defeated Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau 2-0 in the competition’s opening game on Saturday as Nigeria must win today to keep up with the pace.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
![Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa [Photo Shettima]](https://i1.wp.com/gazettengr.com/wp-content/uploads/Chief-of-Defence-Staff-CDS-General-Christopher-Musa-Photo-Shettima.png)
NationWide
CDS Musa urges troops to remain resolute in combating insecurity
Mr Musa said living and fallen heroes should be remembered by paying collective tribute to them for their everyday sacrifices.

NationWide
Shettima departs for World Economic Forum in Switzerland
Mr Shettima will co-chair the launch of the Private Sector Action Plan for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).

Sport
AFCON 2023: ‘Wasteful’ Super Eagles forced to 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea
Barely 30 seconds into the game, Nigeria nearly found the back of the net, but Alex Iwobi’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper, Jesus Owono.

Lagos
NDLEA intercepts 300,000 tramadol pills from Pakistan at Lagos airport
NDLEA’s spokesman Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja that the pills were smuggled in from Pakistan.

States
10,000 Benue youth to benefit from government’s fire safety project
Mr Alia said over 10,000 sustainable employment would be provided under the project.

NationWide
Police, others refusing to track kidnappers, bandits with NIN-SIM data: Pantami
Mr Pantami blamed security agencies for not utilising the NIN-SIM data to tackle rising kidnapping for ransom and banditry.