The Super Eagles of
Nigeria are set to begin their quest for a fourth continental crown as the 2021
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) starts in Cameroon yesterday.
Nigeria, 2013 winners,
is in Group D of the competition and will be playing in their 19th AFCON when
the tournament kicks off in the Central African country.
They will battle Egypt,
Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau in Garoua.
Ahead of the
competition, interim coach, Austine Eguavoen, had called up 28 players for the
soccer party weeks after he was appointed to replace long-time manager, Gernot
Rohr.
But the three-time
African champions will be without the services of talismanic striker, Victor
Osimhen, and a handful of players for the AFCON.
The country’s top scorer
during the qualification games for the championship was excused from the
tournament on health grounds.
He was not the only one
left out of the squad. Compatriot, Dennis Emmanuel of Watford, and former
Manchester United forward, Odion Ighalo, were also replaced days after the list
of invited players was released.
Despite this, hopes are
high among some fans that the Super Eagles will make an impact in the
competition.
They will begin their
campaign against seven-time champions, Egypt, on Tuesday.
Nigeria’s 2021 AFCON fixtures, date
and time
Before is the full list
of Nigeria’s 2021 AFCON Group D games as well as the dates and times for the
encounters:
Nigeria
vs Egypt
Date: Tuesday, January 11th, 2022.
Time: 05:00pm (WAT).
Nigeria vs Sudan
Date: Saturday, January 15th, 2022.
Time: 05:00pm (WAT).
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria
Date: Wednesday,
January 19th, 2022.
Time: 08:00pm (WAT
