The Nigeria/Ghana final qualifying fixture in the race to next year’s African Nations Championship is still delicately poised, following the scoreless draw in the first leg played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Ghana’s Black Galaxies dominated the first period with a string of opportunities, but they found the Super Eagles’ rearguard marshalled by Captain Nduka Junior impenetrable.
Stephen Amankwoo found a leeway through the Eagles’ defence in the 15th minute only to see his rising shot go inches wide of Henry Ozoemena’s goal-post.
Sikiru Alimi’s free-kick, with a minute to half time, also went over the sticks as the game became a ding-dong affair between the regional powerhouses.
The scoreless affair is the best result Nigeria have earned against Ghana away in any qualifying contest for the African Nations Championship, with the Eagles losing 2-3 to their hosts in 2008 and then getting spanked by two goals in 2022.
Both teams now look forward to the second leg of the fixture, set for the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday, with the winner on aggregate to represent WAFU B at the biennial championship reserved exclusively for professional footballers plying their trade in their country’s domestic leagues.
The eighth instalment of the African Nations Championship will be hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, 1st – 28th February 2025.
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