The return of Serge Aurier boosted the Elephants team, with him skippering the side. On the other hand, the Super Eagles had Samuel Chukwueze back in the squad. The game started off at a frantic pace, with Victor Osimhen coming close to giving Nigeria the lead in the first nine minutes. Soon after, goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made a great save to deny Christian Kouame. As the first half progressed, chances became few and far between, and both sides went into the interval deadlocked.
In the early stages of the second half, William Troost-Ekong broke the deadlock for the Elephants with a powerful shot from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded after Osimhen was fouled in the box, with the decision confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Despite the goal, Cote d’Ivoire couldn’t find a way past Nigeria’s strong defense and failed to equalize.
With this loss, Cote d’Ivoire suffered their first group game defeat at Afcon since 2012. The Super Eagles overtook them by one point, reaching a total of four points, equaling Equatorial Guinea. In the other game, Equatorial Guinea took the lead through Nsue after a brilliant pass from Ganet, but Guinea-Bissau equalized before halftime with an own goal by Orozco.
Guinea-Bissau was initially awarded a penalty shortly after the own goal but it was overturned after a VAR review. Just after the break, Josete Miranda restored the lead for Equatorial Guinea with a volley from the edge of the box. Nsue quickly extended their lead to 3-1 and completed his brace following a cross from Basilio Ndong. Around the hour mark, Nsue sealed the game for Equatorial Guinea with his third goal, initially disallowed for offside but awarded after VAR review. In stoppage time, Ze Turbo scored a consolation goal for Guinea-Bissau.
Overall, the Elephants lost their game while the Super Eagles took the lead in their group. Equatorial Guinea secured a victory with Nsue’s hat-trick, while Guinea-Bissau managed to score a late consolation goal.