NIGERIA reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after Ademola Lookman scored twice to beat a disappointing Cameroon 2-0 in the round of 16 in Abidjan.
The Atalanta forward opened the scoring nine minutes before the break after Victor Osimhen forced Oumar Gonzalez into a mistake and then teed up Lookman to fire past goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, who was preferred against Andre Onana.
Former England Under-21 international Lookman sealed the win in the 90th minute after one of the game’s best moves, volleying home Calvin Bassey’s cut-back to spark huge celebrations among the three-time champions.
Despite introducing Vincent Aboubakar, top scorer at the 2021 edition, late on for his first appearance after a muscle injury sustained on the eve of the finals, Cameroon failed to register a single shot on target.
The Super Eagles will meet Angola, who impressed in a 3-0 win over Namibia earlier, in the last eight on Friday, also in the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium.
Cameroon coach Rigobert Song will face serious pressure back home following his latest failure, having exited the 2022 World Cup at the group stage.
Cameroon football federation president Samuel Eto’o, who was watching on from the stands, will now having to decide whether to dismiss his former team-mate.
Playing in the stadium where they won the first of their five continental crowns, beating Nigeria in the 1984 final, the Indomitable Lions looked disjointed throughout, as they have been for much of the tournament.
Cameroon have seen off the West Africans in three Nations Cup finals, but the Super Eagles often have the better of their meetings when they meet earlier on.
The victory was Nigeria’s second over Cameroon at this stage of the tournament in the past three editions, having won 3-2 in Egypt in 2019.
