Ademola Lookman was the hero as Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-0 in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 Round of 16 clash between the continental heavyweights on Saturday.
In front of a vibrant crowd at the Felix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Cameroon started brightly with Zambo Anguissa finding Karl Toko Ekambi, but the striker’s shot was blocked by William Ekong.
Nigeria thought they had taken an early lead when Lookman’s 9th-minute corner was turned in by Ajayi, but VAR disallowed it for offside.
The Super Eagles did break through in the 36th minute after Victor Osimhen pounced on a defensive mistake to set up Lookman, who finished coolly past Onana.
Cameroon was unable to deal with Nigeria’s intensity and conceded again just before full time when Lookman latched onto his own through ball before slotting home to make it 2-0.
The result sends Nigeria into a quarter-final clash with Angola, while Cameroon exits at the last 16 stage.
With their clinical victory in a TotalEnergies CAF AFCON heavyweight bout, Nigeria shows they have the quality and experience to potentially end their long wait for a fourth continental title.
