Table of Contents
- Senegal, who are the defending champions of CHAN, kicked off their title defense with a narrow 1-0 win over Nigeria
- The clash between these two West African rivals was one of the most talked about fixtures of the tournament
Senegal vs Nigeria was one of the fixtures to watch out for in the group stages of CAF African Nations Championships (CHAN) 2024. The Group D match was played last night on Tuesday, August 5, at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.
Senegal, who are the defending champions of CHAN having won the tournament in 2022, kicked off their title defense with a narrow 1-0 win over Nigeria. Nigeria are playing in their first CHAN tournament since 2018 and played well but failed to register a goal throughout the match.
Senegal vs Nigeria. Photo/ Punch Newspapers.
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Christian Gomis scored the only goal of the Senegal vs Nigeria match in the 75th minute. The CHAN tournament is exclusively for players competing in their domestic leagues, which is why star players like Sadio Mane (Senegal), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) and Victor Boniface (Nigeria), didn’t play for their national teams.
Senegal Vs Nigeria
Senegal and Nigeria met for the first time in CHAN championships last night. The clash between these two West African rivals was one of the most talked about fixtures of the tournament.
The game started on a high note with Nigeria pressing high and controlling the midfield through Raymond Tochukwu and Nduka Junior. However, the tension led to early bookings for both players.
Sikiru Alimi almost opened the scoring for Nigeria midway through the first half but goalkeeper Marc Diouf did well to ensure Senegal stayed in the game. The Lions of Teranga also threatened to score with Daouda Ba and Moctar Koite firing from long range.
Despite both sides coming close to finding the back of the net, the scores remained 0-0 at half-time. The decisive moment of the match came in the 75th minute when Christian Gomis completed a swift counter-attack with a goal for Senegal. The move was initiated in the midfield by Libasse Gueye who found Serigne Moctar Koite who released Gomis with a well taken through ball.
With a 1-0 lead, the defending champions were comfortable to play at the back as the clock ticked on. Nigeria, who reached the semifinals of CHAN in 2014 and 2018, failed to break down Senegal’s defence despite enjoying most of the possession and registering 11 attempts on goal. Tempers were high in the final minutes of the game but Senegal played safe to ensure they walked away with all three points.
The match saw seven substitutions and several stoppages in injury time. Senegal’s coach will be happy with his substitutes Pape Badji and Bonaventure Fonseca for slowing down Nigeria’s midfield.
Nigeria head coach Chelle said Senegal deserved the win considering they were more aggressive than them.
Eric Chelle. Photo/ CAF Online.
“Senegal was more aggressive than us. They put more intensity than us, and for me, this is normal. They deserve this victory. In the second half, we gave the goal. This was a small mistake. But this is normal because we never got into this game. Maybe mentally, or maybe we were scared about something.” Chelle is quoted by Daily Post Nigeria.
Senegal’s win extends their unbeaten run against West African sides at CHAN. It’s also the sixth time that they’ve won 1-0 in the competition, highlighting their defensive prowess. Senegal currently sit top of Group D with three points. Nigeria, on the other hand, are bottom of the standings with zero points after one game.
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The home-based Super Eagles will be hoping to record a win next Tuesday when they face Sudan in their second fixture of CHAN 2024 at the Amman Stadium. Meanwhile, Senegal’s next fixture is against Congo on the same day.
CHAN resumes today, August 6, with Burkina Faso taking on the Central African Republic and Tanzania facing Mauritania at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium.
