Nigeria secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a dominant 2-0 victory over Cameroon in the round of 16 in Abidjan.
Ademola Lookman, the Atalanta forward, played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s triumph, netting both goals in an outstanding performance. His first goal came nine minutes before halftime when Victor Osimhen capitalized on an error by Oumar Gonzalez, setting up Lookman to fire the ball past goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who was preferred over Andre Onana.
Lookman sealed the win for Nigeria in the 90th minute with a spectacular volley after a brilliantly executed team move. Calvin Bassey provided the assist with a well-timed cut-back, sparking jubilant celebrations among the three-time champions.
Despite introducing Vincent Aboubakar, the top scorer at the 2021 edition, late in the match for his first appearance following a muscle injury sustained on the eve of the finals, Cameroon struggled to mount any significant offensive threat and failed to register a single shot on target.
Nigeria will now face Angola in the quarter-finals, with Angola having impressed in their earlier 3-0 victory over Namibia. The highly-anticipated clash is scheduled to take place on Friday at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.