Nigerian forward Samuel Chukwueze has been named Man-of-the-Match, after his first half goal and overall delightful performance earned the Super Eagles victory over bitter rivals, South Africa.
A goal each from Villarreal wideman, Chukwueze, and Udinese strong man, William Troost Ekong, helped Nigeria to overcome the resistance of the men from Nelson Mandela’s country.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, organizers of the championships picked the talented youngster as the star performer in the encounter at the Cairo International Stadium, Wednesday night.
Samuel Chukwueze became the youngest scorer at the #TotalAFCON2019
An eagle on the rise for @NGSuperEagles 🦅pic.twitter.com/2gNZUxzdrL
— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 10, 2019
Chukwueze was a constant threat down the right wing, his pace, trickery and dribbling was an endless headache for the opposing defenders.
The winger, who could also operate as an attacking midfielder, could have added to his tally but he saw his goal bound shot well blocked by a South African defender and he blazed another effort over the cross bar after a quick counter attack, as Nigeria gained the upper hand in the first half of the gripping contest.
Chukwueze, #NGARSA's MOTM spoke to us about how he feels about #SuperEagles' campaign and more 🎙️#TotalAFCON2019 pic.twitter.com/UtEj0axwjS
— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 10, 2019
The win also guaranteed a spot for Nigeria in the semifinals of the Afcon. The Super Eagles are now two wins away from lifting the title for the fourth time.
Nigeria will now await the winner of the Algeria versus Ivory Coast match to know who they will square up against for a final ticket.
