Nigeria began their campaign at the 2025 African Cup of Nations with a 2-1 win over Tanzania in their opening group C encounter on Tuesday night.
The Super Eagles were finalists in the previous edition of the tournament in Ivory Coast in 2023 and were one of the favourites to lift the prestigious trophy in Morocco this year.
Things started brightly for Eric Chelle’s side, who dominated the early exchanges and after striking the crossbar in the opening minutes of the encounter, they took the lead in the 36th minute as Semi Ajayi powered home a header after a cross from Alex Iwobi.
Tanzania briefly pulled level early in the second half, but Ademola Lookman proved his worth once again with a stunning goal, to complete the win for the Super Eagles.
While the three-time African champions started off on a great note, there were several talking points from the clash.
Iwobi shows his creative ability on the big stage
Alex Iwobi has often been criticized for his passive style of play for the Nigerian national team, but he brought along his creative boots in the win over Tanzania.
The Fulham midfielder provided took on the role of playmaking and provided the assists for both goals. Iwobi also ended the match with six chances created for the team, the highest figure by any player in the match.
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Semi Ajayi makes case for center-back option
Nigeria went into the clash against Tanzania hoping to find answers to the perfect replacement for both Benjamin Fredrick and William Troost-Ekong.
Semi Ajayi made a case for himself with a brilliant showing at both ends of the pitch. The defender scored the opener with a brilliant header and also helped to keep the Tanzanian attack at bay for majority of the encounter. Eric Chelle may have already found the ideal defensive partner for Calvin Bassey.
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Nigeria must improve finishing
Despite ending the game with 11 attempts on goal, the Super Eagles scored only two times and were very wasteful in the match, which set up a tense finish despite their domination.
Victor Osimhen was the major culprit with several missed efforts, while Akor Adams and Iwobi also wasted good chances to score. The team must improve on their efficiency to avoid being punished by other teams they face in the course of the tournament.
Lookman shines on the big stage once again
There were questions over the form of Ademola Lookman heading into the AFCON tournament, following several poor displays during Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers.
However, the Atalanta winger eased pressure with another well-taken goal. The 28-year-old scored three times at the last tournament and proved that he was made for the big stage with the winner to seal maximum points for the Super Eagles.
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Nigeria’s wide men must improve decision making
Samuel Chukwueze started on the left side of the Nigerian attack against Tanzania anf enjoyed an impressive shift, finishing with the most dribbles in the whole game. However, his decision making at times proved questionable.
His second-half replacement, Moses Simon, also put in a decent display but struggled to produce an end product. Both players will need to improve, especially in matches where Nigeria find it difficult to break down stubborn defences.
