On Day 1 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification series at the MKO Abiola Stadium, the Super Eagles had to come from behind to defeat the tenacious Leone Stars of Sierra Leone 2-1.
When Mohamed Turay's rasping effort was turned over by goalkeeper Francis Uzoho in the fourth minute, the Leone Stars ran riot at the Super Eagles' door.
In the 11th minute, Jonathan Morsay scored with a diving header from a pin-point pull-out from Alhassan Koroma to beat Uzoho and give the Leone Stars the lead.
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However, their lead was short-lived as Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon exchanged passes, with the Everton star emphatically reaching the far corner of goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara's post to draw the Eagles level.
Osimhen's penetration into the visitors' goalpost was rewarded in the 41st minute, as the Napoli forward scored from a Simon header off Ola Aina's right-wing cross.
The game flowed from one end to the other in the second half, although Nigeria should have made it 3-1 in the 58th minute when Iwobi and Osimhen cut open the visitors' defense, only for Samuel Chukwueze to dribble his shot wide due to too much purchase on his attempt.
As Nigeria battled for another goal, Aribo, Osimhen, and replacement Ademola Lookman all squandered chances, but it took Aribo's last-second intervention to deny the Leone Stars in extra time.
Meanwhile, Guinea Bissau topped the group after defeating Sao Tome and Principe 5-1 yesterday, and the Eagles will travel to Agadir, Morocco on Monday for their Day 2 match against the "The Falcons and True Parrots" of Sao Tomé and Principe.