The Super Eagles of Nigeria suffered a 2-0 defeat in a preparatory friendly against Guinea on Monday, gearing up for the 2023 African Cup of Nations set to commence on February 13th in Cote d’Ivoire.
The match took place at the Bani Yas Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The official updates from the Super Eagles’ X page reported Guinea’s first goal in the 14th minute with the notation, “14’ Nigeria concedes! NGA 0-1 GUI.”
Moreover, a penalty was granted to Nigeria in the 19th minute, and the update read, “19’ Penalty awarded to Nigeria as Umar is hacked down.”
Unfortunately, the ensuing penalty attempt was thwarted by the Guinean goalkeeper, denying Simon a goal from the spot.
The live update later mentioned, “64’ Nigeria concedes a second goal.”
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The final score concluded with Nigeria losing 2-0 to Guinea in their initial pre-AFCON friendly match.
According to Punch Online, Nigeria, aiming for a fourth AFCON title after victories in 1980, 1994, and 2013, will commence their Group A campaign on January 14th against Equatorial Guinea.
Subsequently, they will face the host nation, Ivory Coast, four days later and play against Guinea-Bissau in their last Group A encounter on January 22nd.
In this year’s challenging AFCON group, Guinea finds itself alongside Cameroon, Gambia, and defending champions Senegal.