By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles ended their 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) campaign on a high, defeating Congo 2–0 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Tuesday evening.
The victory, however, came too late to alter their fate, as both teams bowed out of Group D, leaving defending champions Senegal and Sudan to march into the quarter-finals.
Congo entered the contest with slim hopes of qualification after back-to-back draws, while Nigeria were already eliminated following a narrow 1–0 loss to Senegal and a crushing 4–0 defeat to Sudan.
The first half was largely uneventful, though Congo nearly snatched the lead in the 25th minute when a defensive slip from captain Nduka Junior gifted their striker a chance, only for him to head wide of Ebenezer Harcourt’s post.
Nigeria returned from the break with renewed intent, and in the 56th minute, Anas Yusuf broke the deadlock, firing home after a cushioned header from Sikiru Alimi off Abdulrafiu Taiwo’s cross.
The Eagles, silver medallists at CHAN 2018, kept their momentum and sealed the result deep into stoppage time when Alimi turned scorer, rifling in the team’s second goal — their first strikes in the competition since their semi-final win over Sudan in Marrakech seven years ago.
With their campaign now over, the squad is expected back in Nigeria on Thursday, while Senegal and Sudan continue their push for continental honours.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
