Hit & miss from Victor Osimhen! Nigeria held in AFCON opener as Equatorial Guinea prevent Super Eagles from taking flight

The Super Eagles are always expected to challenge for continental glory, given the depth of talent at their disposal, but they stumbled out of the blocks against quarter-finalists from two years ago. Osimhen looked lively from the off, with a wild strike lashed off target in the opening exchanges.

Zaidu Sanusi fired wide of a gaping net in the 10th minute, before Osimhen glanced a floated cross from Ola Aina past the post. Equatorial Guinea then took the lead against the run of play in the 36th minute, with the ball squared for Iban Salvador to stroke left-footed into the bottom corner from 13 yards out.

Nigeria levelled less than two minutes later, with Ademola Lookman hanging up a delivery for Napoli frontman Osimhen to nod home from close range. He spurned another decent opportunity early in the second 45 as Jose Peseiro’s side briefly mislaid their shooting boots and frustration began to set in.

Aina forced a smart save from the feet of Jesus Owono as the Super Eagles pushed for a winner, with their passionate supporters forever in fine voice, while Osimhen was left head in hands after rolling a golden chance wide of the upright with 14 minutes remaining – having cleverly beaten the offside trap.

Ademola Lookman was a dangerous presence for Nigeria throughout a competitive encounter that saw Equatorial Guinea sit back and soak up pressure. The English-born winger has been starring in Italian football for Atalanta, and has matured into a handful for any defence. He always looked like being the man to pick a tight defensive lock, and did just that when clipping over the cross that allowed Osimhen to restore parity for the Super Eagles. He could have got on the scoresheet himself in the second half, but lashed high over the top when presented with a clear sight of the target.

Not really a loser, as Nigeria are up and running in the points department and he has a goal to his name, but Victor Osimhen could have been a match-winning hero for the Super Eagles. The Napoli frontman has shown in Serie A how devastating he can be in front of goal, with it rare for him to fluff his lines. He did that on a couple of occasions against Equatorial Guinea, with two glorious opportunities passing him by in the second half that he would have expected to take on any other day – with the 25-year-old finding himself one-on-one.

Matchday Two in AFCON Group B will see the two sides fancied to progress into the knockout stages lock horns. Nigeria will face hosts Ivory Coast – who have three points to their name – on Thursday, with Equatorial Guinea tackling Guinea-Bissau on the same day.