Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday secured maximum points in Group C of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after a convincing 3-1 victory over Uganda at the Complexe Sportif de Fès, Morocco.
The win in the final group match confirms Nigeria’s dominance in the group stage, as the Super Eagles combined attacking efficiency with disciplined play to overwhelm the Ugandans.
Paul Onuachu opened the scoring for the Super Eagles, while Raphael Onyedika grabbed a brace later on to ensure Nigeria secured maximum points, going into the round of 16.
However, 10-man Uganda did score a consolation goal against Nigeria through Rogers Mato in the 75th minute to end the game 3-1 in favour of the Super Eagles.
Coach Eric Chelle rotated his squad heavily, retaining only Victor Osimhen, Calvin Bassey and Bruno Onyemaechi from the previous win over Tunisia. Nigeria, already qualified, dominated proceedings despite the wholesale changes.
Uganda’s task worsened after goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola was sent off shortly after halftime, leaving the Cranes with 10 men and a third-choice goalkeeper.
The Super Eagles had earlier defeated Tanzania 2-1 and Tunisia 3-2 in earlier Group C fixtures, thus grabbing 9 points, scoring a total of 8 goals and conceding 4 goals from 3 games played in the group stage.
The Super Eagles topped Group C with nine points, ahead of Tunisia, while Tanzania edged through as one of the best third-placed teams.
Nigeria will face the third-placed team from Group F in the round of 16, with Cameroon or Mozambique the possible opponents.
