Again the Super Eagles of Nigeria just didn’t show up in their encounter with Sudan as they were beaten 1-0 by Sudan. The Super Eagles of Nigeria again put up a lackluster display that didn’t have any bit whatsoever. They played without a real sense of urgency in the game they all knew was a must win for them. All this may well spell doom for Keshi’s job and his days as head coach of the senior national team may well be numbered.
The game was a must-win for the visitors prior to their trip to Sudan and bookmakers had tipped Nigeria to recover from a slow start to the group games and at least get a win to boost their chances of qualifying for the African Nations Cup finals in Morocco next year.
However, the Stephen Keshi tutored boys did not create any meaningful chance, while their hosts delivered the killer punch four minutes from the interval through Bakri Abdulqadir.
The Al Hilal striker’s powerful header from inside the box completely beat goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for the only goal of the encounter.
Elsewhere in group A, Bafana-Bafana of South Africa moved to the top of the group, thanks to a convincing 2-0 win in faraway Congo.
Nigeria now occupy the last position in the group as Sudan leapfrogged the Super Eagles into third place with their first win of the qualifying series.
Nigeria hosts Sudan in their next game of the qualifiers this week, while Congo will hope to regain the top position when they visit South Africa.