Nigeria/Egypt: Kelechi Iheanacho wins Man of the Match award, as Cameroonians celebrate victory

Leicester City of England’s Kelechi Iheanacho has been named the Man of the Match in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group D match between Nigeria and Egypt played on Tuesday evening at the Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua, in Cameroon.

Iheanacho’s half volley in the 30^th minute sealed victory for Nigeria in the Group D opening encounter, which also saw the Super Eagles finish tops after the first round of matches in the continental tournament.

The Leicester City man played for 80 minutes before he was substituted for Huesca midfielder Kelechi Nwakali.

For his winning strike, Iheanacho was voted as the Man of the Match by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Speaking after the game, Iheanacho stated he was delighted with the result and the award.

“It’s a massive win for us. We prepared and worked so hard for this game and we are happy with the result. This is surely a good start for us and I hope it will help us in subsequent games.

“We were not scared of the Egyptians. We studied them very well and it showed our performance. This is a good start for us and Nigerians can be sure we will do our best in this competition.

Iheanacho will be aiming to add to his goal when the Super Eagles take on Sudan in their next group fixture scheduled for Saturday, January 15.

Meanwhile, Nigerian fans and supporters as well as their Cameroonian counterparts were in jubilation mood after Nigeria’s 1-0 victory over Egypt in opening Group ‘D’ match against Egypt on Tuesday.

Some Cameroonians fans were seen rooting for Nigeria during the game.

Pierre Moussa said he was very happy that the Egyptians lost to his ‘Nigerian brothers.’

“Salah is good footballer, but he did not play a good game today.

“Nigeria took advantage of a sloppy Egyptian side and scored a vital goal which gave them the vital win.

“Nigeria is at the top of the group which is the most important thing, while Egypt are currently at the bottom of the table,” he said.

Ibrahim Aboubakar said: “We Cameroonians were supporting Nigeria and we are happy that Super Eagles won their opening match, we are celebrating Nigeria’s victory.”

The Super Eagles will next take on Sudan on Saturday, before playing their last game against Guinea Bissau on January 19.

In a similar development, Air Peace Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, has promised to give the Super Eagles N50 million, if they lift the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicked off on January 9, in Cameroon.

Onyema, who made the pledge in Garoua, Cameroon, while speaking to the Super Eagles during half time in their opening game against the Egyptians, stressed that the players carry the hopes and aspirations of over 200 million people and 350 ethnicities on their young shoulders, urging them to give their best and win the trophy.

He also promised to give N10 million for every goal scored in the Eagles’ opening match against Egypt.

“We believe in what you can do, you have the strength as a team. Remember what I told you during the qualifying series. That it is not just an ordinary football match. You are carrying the hopes and aspirations of over 350 ethnic nationalities of our beautiful country. You’re playing for the unity of Nigeria. This is your time to play your part in cementing the unity of this nation, as Nigerians from North, South, East and West will celebrate in unison. Do us proud and when you come back with the cup, I’m going to give you 50 million naira”.

He used the medium, again, to harp on the uniting powers of football as whenever the Eagles are playing, Nigerians jettison their ethnic and religious sentiments and forge a united front in support of the team.

It would be recalled that during the qualifying stages, the Air Peace chief delivered a similar unity-themed and motivational speech to the Super Eagles on board one of the airline’s brand new Embraer 195-E2 aircraft, and gave them a cheque of N20 million.

The Falcons of the 1999 squad were also beneficiaries of N10 million from the aviation cognoscente during the 3rd NFF-Aiteo Football Awards last year in Lagos.

Air Peace, a leading Nigerian airline, is the official airline sponsor of the Nigerian National Teams.