By Michael Madyira
It might have just been a friendly, but Nigeria sent a statement of intent to Bafana Bafana by beating Ghana 2-1 on Friday, their first victory over the Black Stars in 18 years.
With the Super Eagles preparing to face South Africa in a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier in June, the result at the Stade de Marrakech presented warning shots to Hugo Broos and his men.
Rangers forward Cyriel Dessers scored for Nigeria from the penalty spot in the 38th minute before substitute Ademola Lookman doubled their advantage with six minutes to go.
Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time penalty was not enough for Ghana who lost to their traditional rivals for the first time since 2006.
They played 34 minutes with a man short following a red card to Jerome Opoku and it was a continuation of the Black Stars’ bad patch since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Friday’s result will spur the Super Eagles on ahead of meeting Bafana, even if they lose to Mali in another international friendly on Tuesday.
Being one of the candidates to have submitted their CVs to replace former coach Jose Peseiro, Nigeria caretaker trainer Finidi George raised his hand up for a permanent job.
“I feel happy, it’s not easy, you know the rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana,” George told the media.
“So, coming here to win this game is a good one for me.”
“I feel happy for the players. I’m a coach and just want to do my job. If we get victories like this, it will keep me happy, so I will keep on pushing.”
George is already doing things his own way, departing from a system where Victor Osimhen was a lone striker. On Friday he had two forwards: Dessers and Kelechi Iheanacho.
“We didn’t keep the same formation as one at Afcon,” the Super Eagles caretaker coach said.
“We played 3-5-2, but at Afcon you will see it was only Osimhen [upfront]. We felt he was doing so much running alone.”
“I wanted some other player to do that. That player will at least help, so you could see if a player gets the ball, there is an opportunity for a pass.”
It is something Bafana coach Hugo Broos might be on the lookout for in anticipation of George getting the Super Eagles job permanently.
Pictured above: Nigeria right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel fights for possession against Ghana left-back Patrick Kpozo
Image source: Super Eagles
