The Super Eagles of Nigeria have failed to take flight after an impressive start at the ongoing African Cup of Nations. A second-half goal from Youssef Msakni secured a quarter-final spot for the Eagles of Carthage at the expense of the Nigerians.
The Super Eagles showed quality at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua on Sunday evening but it wasn’t enough to secure them a spot at the quarter-final. It was a very cagey affair in the first half with both sides barely testing either goalkeepers.
The second half was similar but the Tunisians went in front after a long-range effort from Youssef Msakni swerved in front of Maduka Okoye. The Super Eagles goalkeeper got a hand to the ball but the shot was too much for him to stop.
Matters became worse after Alex Iwobi was shown a red card shortly after coming on for a dangerous tackle. The Tunisian side held on to their slim lead till the end of the match.
The Senior Brand Manager, “33” Export Lager, Aishat Anaekwe commended the Super Eagles saying “I guess we can call this a wake-up call. It is not the result that we wanted but we can take lessons from here and improve on our world cup preparations. We have seen the quality we have and we definitely can build on that”
The official beer partner of the Nigeria Football Federation has during the course of the tournament opened viewing centres for fans to enjoy the games and also rewarded some football lovers with authentic Super Eagles jerseys.
“33” Export Lager will also be sponsoring some lucky fans to watch the finals in Cameroon. Winners will be chosen from mini-contests at match viewing centers and on social media via the Ultimate Predictor challenge. The challenge is a point-based online ‘predict and win’ competition on @33exportnigeria social media pages.
The Eagles will now turn their attention to their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ghana slated for sometime in March. The Tunisians play Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals on the 30th of January by 8pm.
