Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign didn’t get off to the expected start as they were held by Equatorial Guinea in a thrilling encounter on Sunday afternoon in Abidjan.
Victor Osimhen’s quick-fire equaliser spared Nigeria a shock defeat against Equatorial Guinea. The Napoli striker nodded in straight after Iban Salvador’s opener for the underdogs.
Salvador’s classy first-half finish was his side’s only attempt on target and briefly threatened a significant upset in the second game of the tournament.
Jesus Owono made several second-half saves to deny the Super Eagles, and Osimhen missed after breaking clear.
The stalemate in the Group A match means both sides are two points behind Ivory Coast, who opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Saturday.
Equatorial Guinea return to the Alassane Ouattara Stadium when they face Guinea-Bissau on Thursday (14:00 GMT).
Nigeria take on Ivory Coast at the same venue in the subsequent game (17:00 GMT), pitting two teams considered strong contenders for the title against each other.