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The Super Eagles of Nigeria have commenced their African Cup of Nations tournament on a bright note.
With a goal better than the new comers Burundi, the team is comfortable on the group’s table with three points.
Meanwhile, captain of the team John Obi Mikel has admitted that his team were fortunate to defeat the debutants who he described as ‘very organised’ side.
Nigerian captain however praised Burundi’s display in what was a keenly contested Group B opener at the Alexandria Stadium.
Olivier Niyungeko’s men produced an inspiring performance against Nigeria in what was their first ever AFCON match, Goal.com reported after the match.
Having qualified for the continental showpiece without a single defeat from a group which had the likes of Mali and Gabon, the Swallows truly proved in the game that their feat in the qualifiers wasn’t a fluke.
In the 77th minute Ola Aina found substitute Odion Ighalo in the box, via a sublime back-heel pass, with the Shanghai Shenhua frontman dispatching with consummate ease.
Nigeria’s captain praised the debutants and also admitted that the group which contains Guinea and another tournament newcomer in Madagascar, isn’t an easy one.
“Yeah, it’s not an easy group, it’s a very tough group,” Mikel told the media.
“You can see from today – they [Burundi] are a very organized team, very tough to break down. We were lucky to get the goal.
“I think we played well. We had most of the ball, but we couldn’t break them down – we couldn’t get the goal. So it was very crucial for us to get these three points today.”
In the second match of the group, Guinea played a two-all game with another debutant, Madagascar meaning that the group now has a clear leader I the Super Eagles of Nigeria. While Burundi is currently at the bottom of the table with no point, Guinea and Madagascar have a point each.
