The Super Eagles defeated the Mediterranean Knights in a dull encounter, but Dele-Bashiru’s late goal gave the home team the victory.
At the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Nigeria and Libya faced off in the third matchday of the Afcon qualifiers.
Victor Osimhen was absent from Augustine Eguavoen’s squad when he took the field as an interim coach.
The visitor’s strategy, which was to sit back, take it all in, and do nothing, was obvious, therefore the first verse of the game lacked excitement. The Super Eagles were getting more and more frustrated as they continued to press for the first goal, but Murad Al Wuheesh had to make some vital stops to hold off the home team.
Even though the game did not look good, there was a chance that was available for the likes of Alex Iwobi, William Troost-Ekong and Ademola Lookman but they were wasteful and could not get it past the Mediterranean Knights shotstopper.
After seeing that he was winning the game but was unable to penetrate the final line of defense, Eguavoen added players like Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Samuel Chikwueze to strengthen his attack. The 23-year-old Lazio midfielder grabbed a pass with the game seemed headed to a goalless draw, giving the Super Eagles a 1-0 victory and preserving their ambition of winning in Morocco.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru is the one who entered and had the most influence. After twelve minutes on the pitch, the SS Lazio starlet scored the game-winning goal thanks to some excellent left-wing effort by Moses Simon.
Following their confirmation that they go to Uyo to defend and not offer anything in terms of playing and taking the game to the home side, they conceded with four minutes of regulation left.
Nigeria’s objective is apparent: on October 15, they must travel to Libya in order to earn three more points, bringing their total to 10.
Libya, on the other hand, is starting again after a miserable season in which they managed only one point from three games.
(Goal)
