The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Wednesday night defeated the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia 1 nil to win the 3rd place-playoff of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the Al-Salam Stadium, it was a consolation to the Nigerians who after the semifinal heartbreak needed some lift. It could be recalled that the Nigerians lost the semifinal clash to Algeria 1-2 in dramatic fashion after losing to what was almost the last kick of the match, Tunisia, on the other hand, lost her semifinal to Senegal 0-1 after putting the ball into own net in the extra-time.
Nigeria seems like a 3rd place specialist, winning all 7 3rd place playoff she had played in, including her 1st ever AFCON 3rd place finish which in fact was against the Tunisians 41 years ago(1978), the clash infamously ended in dramatic fashion after the Super Eagles were awarded 2 goals and 3 points after Tunisia abandoned the match with the scores locked at 1 all. Tunisia's AFCON lone victory over Nigeria was when she lifted the Cup on home soil in 2004, defeating the Super Eagle in the semifinal en route to 2004 final.
The Nigerians got off the block with a bang, scoring just inside the 3 minutes, with a stroke of luck though. Tunisia's goalie Moez Ben Cherifia fumbled a cross from Nigerian left-back Jamilu Collins and Odion Ighalo on the prowl was on hand to poke the ball into the net for his 5th goal of the tournament, making him the tournament's leading scorer. Ighalo's night would then ended disappointedly after he limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury just before half time. However, his 1st half lone strike was enough to see the Nigerians won her 8th 3rd place finish.
Congratulations to the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Thank you all for your time and support.
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