8th Sep 2014 It was a day of sighs and groans, moans and woes as Nigeria showed a rather shaky kickoff to their African Nations Cup aspirations. The match, the first one since the temporary resolution of the contract standoff between the Nigerian coach and the Nigerian Football Federation, saw Coach Keshi do his best to keep a straight face as the Congo Brazzaville National Team the Red Devils, held Nigeria’s Super Eagles to a crushing loss.
The Super Eagles tried their best, catching a weak spot in the Brazzaville defence to kick in their first goal, however, the Red Devils made up for that, responding with an aggressive and cohesive push that saw 2 goals sneak past the Nigerian goalkeeper Austin Ejide, and topping it with a 3rd goal from a penalty. Nigeria tapped in a goal towards the end of the game, but despite 3 Nigerian substitutions and a number of attempts at goal, the game ended with a 3 – 2 victory for the Red devils.
The Super Eagles will have a chance to redeem themselves when they head to Cape Town next week to meet the new South African team. They’d better do just that. And to the Red Devils, congratulations; you deserved your win.
As it stands, South Africa tops the Group A medals table with 3 points, followed by Congo Brazzavile. Nigeria is 3rd on the table and Sudan is at the bottom. Keep watching this week as we bring you details from other groups and their encounters on the road to Morocco.