'It's really hard to win the AFCON' - Onyeka insists no games are easy ahead of Nigeria's round of 16 match 

The Super Eagles have qualified for the round of 16 of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on Monday evening.

Nigeria had been expected to steamroll their way to victory but the Wild Dogs frustrated the three-time African champions by making it difficult for the Super Eagles to break them down. 

Jose Peseiro's team moved through to the knockout stages thanks to  an own goal from Opa Sanganté who blasted the ball into his own net as he tried to defend a cross from Moses Simon in the 36th minute.

Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze missed chances to increase the lead in the second half, while Victor Osimhen and Zaidu Sanusi's efforts were correctly ruled out by the referee after a VAR review. 

Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka has been one of the unsung heroes for the Super Eagles at the AFCON, starting all their three group games and helping Stanley Nwabali post clean sheets in back-to-back games. 

However, he couldn't complete the game against Guinea-Bissau as he was walking a disciplinary tightrope after picking up a yellow card for clattering into an opponent, so was replaced by fellow FC Ebedei product Raphael Onyedika after the hour mark. 

Onyeka was delighted with the win against Guinea-Bissau and admitted that there are no easy games at the Africa Cup of Nations ahead of the Super Eagles round of 16 clash against the runner up in Group C. 

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria game, Onyeka stated: "It was good to win to build up the confidence though it was difficult but we are happy for the win. 

"We need to relax, prepare our mind for the next game. We don't know who we are playing against but we're just happy that we qualified to the next round so we look forward to the next round.

"It was not an easy group but getting seven points is a really good one. It's really hard to win the AFCON, no games are easy, we just need to fight our way out."

Nigeria will face one of Senegal, Guinea or Cameroon in a round of 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan on Saturday, January 27, 2100 hours kickoff.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 
 

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