The story of the defeat of the Elephants before the Super Eagles of Nigeria

The Super Eagles defeated the Elephant of Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 on Thursday to brighten their chances of qualifying for AFCON knockout stage.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have boosted its credibility as one of the favourites to lift this year’s African Cup of Nations following a 1-0 win over host nation Ivory Coast.

Defender William Troost-Ekong gave the Nigerian team a 1-0 lead from the penalty spot in the 55th minute after striker Victor Osimhen was bundled by Ivorian defenders in the penalty box.

The Eagles matched the firepower of the host country in the game today which was a contrasting performance from the one against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

Before the goal, both teams had their chances, with the Nigerian team being the most wasteful in front of goal.

Following a drab performance against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, Nigerian fans feared that the Eagles might not make it past the group stages, but the display against the Elephants today has again raised hopes for a solid outing in Ivory Coast.

Nigeria is now locked on four points at the top of the group alongside Equatorial Guinea, with Ivory Coast behind them on three points and Guinea-Bissau already eliminated after losing both games so far.

The fact that the four best third-placed sides in the six groups will all advance to the last 16 leaves margin for error, but Ivory Coast must now beat Equatorial Guinea in their last match on Monday to guarantee progress.

Meanwhile, Nigeria must simply avoid defeat against Guinea-Bissau beaten 4-2 by Equatorial Guinea earlier to ensure a top-two finish.

Despite the favourable atmosphere, the Elephants are the first host nation to lose a match in the group phase of an AFCON since 2012, when Equatorial Guinea co-hosts that year with Gabon went down 1-0 to Zambia.

The last host nation to go out in the first round was Gabon, eliminated with three draws in 2017.