ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Feb 2 – The quarter finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) set off in Ivory Coast on Friday, with two matches. Nigeria’s Super Eagles take on Angola in the early kick off, before Guinea and DR Congo square off in the 11pm kick off.
The Super Eagles are looking for a fourth African title, and the first since 2013 when they won it with the late Stephen Keshi.
Nigeria had their issues coming into the tournament but have navigated potentially difficult waters as other heavyweights were sunk.
Striker Victor Osimhen has only netted one goal, but the 25-year-old Napoli man has received plaudits for his tireless running and pressing up front which helped set up Ademola Lookman’s opener against Cameroon in the last 16.
The Super Eagles now face their first ever Afcon meeting with Angola, the lowest-ranked side left at 117th in the world.
Forwards Gelson Dala and Mabululu have impressed for the southern Africans, with four and three goals respectively at the finals, and captain Fredy has pulled the strings in midfield while registering three assists.
“They will be coming out to prove a point and we respect every country,” Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo said. “The idea now is to stick to our game and take it very seriously.”
Both sides have goalkeeping issues ahead of their meeting in Abidjan on Friday (17:00 GMT). The previously under-fire Francis Uzoho is set to replace the injured Stanley Nwabali for Nigeria, while Angola number one Neblu is suspended.
However, Antonio Dominique, who plays in the third tier in Switzerland, kept a clean sheet after coming off the bench against Namibia on Saturday.
