Football enthusiasts in Aba, Abia, have praised the Super Eagles for their 1-0 win over the Elephant of Cote d’Ivoire at the ongoing African Cup of Nations.

Some enthusiasts in Aba said Friday that the Eagles played to fans’ expectations, thereby brightening their chance to qualify for the next round.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face Guinea-Bissau on Monday. 

Hosts Cote d’Ivoire battle Equatorial Guinea in the last group A match at 6:00 p.m. 

The two games hold the key to which team progress into the next round.

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have four points from two games, while Cote d’Ivoire have three points from the same number of games.

A lone goal scored by the Super Eagles captain, Trons-Ekong, from the spot kick was all the Eagles needed to confine Cote d’Ivoire to defeat on Thursday.

An enthusiast, Ugochukwu Ozoemelam, urged patience from fans, saying that getting results in football requires time.

“Nigeria have enough talent to win the group, but most importantly, they should stick to this formation and continue staying compact.

“The players should pay attention to the game for 90 minutes, stay focused and get the job done against Guinea Bissau in the last group match,” he said.

Uche Maduako said, “In the game of soccer, anything can happen, so you do not need to underrate any team until the final whistle.”

He said the Eagles’ first win in the competition and against the host country was a boost to the team and described it as a beautiful outing.

“The Super Eagles of Nigeria need to put acts together henceforth and play as a team if actually, they want to lift the long-awaited trophy. I want to believe they will make it out of the group stage based on their last outing which is a boost to their next game.

“My advice to them is that they should not take Guinea-Bissau for granted because there are no more minnows in African football. Every player is in a global market because this kind of competition is an opportunity to print names on gold,” Mr Maduako said.

Nkwachukwu Maduka expressed joy over the result, saying that Nigeria deserved to be in the next round of the tournament as a football powerhouse in the continent.

“I never expected the Super Eagles to win the match against the host nation. But I am looking forward to Nigeria getting at least a draw or even a win against Guinea-Bissau.

“This showed that anything can be possible in football. The win will give the team confidence and belief for the next match,” he said.

Another enthusiast, Kelechi Makwe, advised the Super Eagles not to be carried away by the win as they still have many matches to prove themselves.

“This is what we have been expecting to see from the Super Eagles. Football is not all about outplaying your opponent without a goal to show for it. It is better for the team to play badly and get the result,” Mr Makwe said. 

(NAN)