Many Nigerians never gave the Super Eagles the chance of making any maximum impact at the 2023 Africa Cup Of Nations held in Cote D'ivoire. 

This was compounded with a jittery start at the tournament proper, but  the Super Eagles soared into the final in impressive fashion.

The three-time champions were
drawn in a tough Group A consisting of tournament hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.

The Super Eagles finished second in their group after worrying 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea saw them bounce back against the Elephants with a narrow 1-0 win and a similar scoreline against Guinea-Bissau which earned them a place in the round of 16. 

The round of 16 saw Nigeria getting into the rhythm and hitting it full speed. An interesting tie between them and Cameroon saw the red-hot Ademola Lookman finding the back of the net twice for his side to send the Indomitable Lions crashing out of the competition. 

The quarter final was not so much of a high scoring match for the Super Eagles as they narrowly edged a resilient Angola 1-0 in Abidjan. While they may not have found the back of the net more than once, the three-time champions demonstrated true champions’ mentality with their impressive game management ability. 

Nigeria continued their dominance over South Africa by defeating them on penalties to progress to the finals.

With 120 minutes ending 1-1, Nigeria luckily won on penalties to repeat what happened in 2000 when they knocked out South Africa in the semi-finals also.

At the final, the  Nigerians surrendered their first half lead to lose to  Cotê d'Ivoire by two goals to nil.

At the semi final match against South Africa, at least Five Nigerians died  while watching the match.

The match was tense and a lot of Nigerians became emotional and nervous due to some highlights including Victor Osimhen’s cancelled goal, Ola Aina’s penalty miss, awarding a penalty to South Africa, and other moments, leading to the demise of fans.

News had it that the Deputy Bursar of Kwara State University Malete, Alhaji Ayuba Abdullahi’s died while watching the semi-finals  match against South Africa .

The deceased was said to have gone  to a viewing centre to watch the match before he started feeling uneasy and later died.

Another death was recorded in Delta State where a former federal lawmaker in Delta State, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, died while watching the Eagles’ match

The incident happened when the penalty was awarded against Nigeria. Dr Ojougboh was said to have shouted and slumped due to a massive heart attack when South Africa score.

The third death was that of a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Adamawa State who died during the game.

The corps member identified only as Samuel from Kaduna State, allegedly passed away just before the final penalty kick which secured Nigeria’s win in the match.

The forth dead recorded was that of the Anambra-born billionaire, Chief Osondu Nwoye, who  died while watching the Super Eagles match live against South Africa.

Nwoye was said to be the richest Igbo businessman based in Ivory Coast before his death. He was said to have shouted on top of his voice, when Nigerian striker, Victor Osihmen scored the second goal, which was later canceled by the Video Assistant Referee, VAR and penalty awarded to South Africa.

These Nigerians actually paid the supreme price in support of their fatherland in the game of soccer.

Now that Nigeria has finished as the second best soccer playing nation in Africa, there are matters still arising from the tournament on the Super Eagles. The NFF should allow the Coach to run out his present contract, after all he exceeded the semi final benchmark that was given to him. The Coach should emphasise on scouting more players wherever they must be playing. This will bring the needed competition in the team. 

More younger goalkeepers should be identified and be given opportunities to understudy the present one, who are all of same age categories, and may retire at the same time. This was exactly why the exit of Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba and Austin Ejide had a devastating effect on that department in the team, until the coming of Stanley Nwabali.

The Super Eagles handlers and the NFF should know that football is the only thing that unites the nation, and citizens follows with much passion. If people can die because of an assumed outcome of a match, the the NFF should know that the labours of the dead should not be in vain.