SportsNews

PHOTOS: Senegal beat Nigeria 1–0 in CHAN 2024 Group D opener

Published

6 months ago

August 5, 2025

Defending champions, Senegal, began their title defence at the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Nigeria in a fiercely contested Group D clash at the Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar.

Super Eagles B player kick the ball in between two Senegalese players | CAF

The match, played at high intensity, delivered the drama expected of two of Africa’s most storied footballing nations.

The lone goal came in the 75th minute, when Moctar Koïté burst down the right flank on a swift counter-attack and delivered a pinpoint low cross into the box.

Christian Gomis arrived unmarked and calmly slotted home with his left foot to seal the win for Senegal.

Action from the Senegal vs Nigeria CHAN 2024 Group D Opener

Senegal, winners of the 2022 edition in Algeria, began the match composed but had to weather early Nigerian pressure.

Both teams had chances in a cagey first half: Sikiru Alimi tested Senegal’s goalkeeper Marc Diouf, while Daouda Ba and Koïté launched long-range efforts that troubled Nigeria’s defence.

Coach Éric Chelle of Nigeria remained optimistic after the match: “We’ll take each game as it comes,” he said, with matches against Congo and Sudan still to follow in the group.

Senegal’s coach Souleymane Diallo, who had dismissed suggestions of pressure before the match, reiterated his side’s ambition: “We’re not here to defend a trophy; we’re here to win a new one.”

Action from the Senegal vs Nigeria CHAN 2024 Group D Opener

This win extends Senegal’s unbeaten run against West African opponents at CHAN and marks their sixth 1–0 victory in the tournament’s history—further evidence of their trademark defensive solidity.

The tournament, which features players active only in their domestic leagues, opened with exactly the kind of tightly contested fixture expected from these regional heavyweights.

SportsNews

2026 World Cup: Super Eagles waiting for FIFA’s decision – Iwobi

Published

5 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

Super Eagles playmaker, Alex Iwobi, has admitted they are waiting to see if the team would still play at the 2026 World Cup.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, is optimistic of a potential lifeline from FIFA, after it submitted a petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Iwobi was asked by SuperSport if he would rather lift the AFCON 2025 trophy or qualify for the World Cup?

The 29-year-old, who played at the 2018 of the World Cup, replied: “I mean we’re still waiting, well hopefully we can go to the World Cup, but I feel it’s a tough one.

“It’s a tough one because winning AFCON is like… It’s a great legacy, it’s a great thing to have like in your career, a memorable moment.

“But then at the same time, because I’ve been to the World Cup already, a lot of the players haven’t been. They would like to say ‘I want to go to the World Cup,’ so I can’t be selfish and say win the AFCON and for my teammates to not go to the World Cup. So it’s a tough one. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Politics

PRESIDENT TINUBU CONDOLES WITH SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE OF THE SUPER EAGLES ON THE PASSING OF HIS MOTHER

Published

1 week ago

January 30, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

President Bola Tinubu sends his condolences

to Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze on the passing of his mother.

The President also extends his sympathies to the family and friends of Mrs Sarah Chukwueze, who passed away on Thursday.

President Tinubu mourns with the Chukwueze family and encourages them to find solace in the memory and legacy of their late matriarch.

“The passing of Mrs Chukwueze, the mother of one of our bright football stars, just a few days after the passing of Super Eagles’ captain Wilfred Ndidi’s father, is deeply saddening.

I mourn with them, and I am with them in prayers during this difficult time,” the President says.

President Tinubu prays that God Almighty will grant the departed eternal rest.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)