AFCON 2019: Algeria beat Eagles 2 -1 to qualify for final

The Super Eagles of Nigeria today Sunday failed in their attempt to secure ticket to play in the finals at the African Cup of Nations(AFCON) in Cairo, Egypt. The Eagles lost 2- 1 to the Algerians at the Cairo International Stadium.

Nigerian will now play Tunisia, that earlier on lost 1-0 to Senegal in the third place match on Saturday, while Senegal will have a date with Algeria, setting the stage for an all North African finals on Sunday.

Nigeria’s lose started in the 40th minutes when jittry William Troost-Ekong scored an own goal. The scoreline was 1-0 in favour of Algeria by half time.

The Super Eagles came into the match in the second half with more determination in a game that had the Algerians dominating ball possession.

The effort of the Super Eagles paid off in the 72 minutes when Odion Ighalo found the back of the net drawing level with the Algerians. The match progressed with the Algerians mounting more pressure on the Super Eagles. It seemed to many that the game would go into penalty but that was not to be.

Lack of concentration on the part of the Super Eagles gave the Algerians opportunity to score the winner through Rihad Mahrez in injury time, at exactly 90 + 5 thus making the Eagles good enough for the third place match. For this woeful performance, the Super Eagles got USD 75,000 for just one goal.