As the Super Eagles keep on with their 2023 African Cup of Nations progress in Ivory Coast, their fans find themselves growing with expectations. That ultimately means that the team must keep winning, especially in the imminent quarter-final match against Central Africans, Angola.

Even though the Super Eagles’ first Afcon game sort of made the fans wonder, so far the supporters seem to look convinced.

A brave display from Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been what has been raising their hope, it seems. From their television screens, the fans can notice absolute commitment from the player and that is precisely what has fueled an unshaken faith in any of his displays.

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But it isn’t only him that is helping the supporters to feel unusually confident. Safe hands, Stanley Nwabali has been a specimen that many feel they can rely on. Ever since the 1-1 draw that Nigeria recorded against now-eliminated Equatorial Guinea, the Super Eagles have maintained clean sheets three games after.

Goalkeeper Nwabali who plays club football for the South African Premier League team, Chippa United, has been big in the eyes of the opposition, therefore ensuring an unbeaten record for three-time Afcon winner, Nigeria.

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Heading into the game with Angola is a sad reminder of the past. On 12 August 1989, during a World Cup qualification match against the Central Africans at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos came a tragedy.

It came around the 77^th minute of the game when 25-year-old midfielder at the time, Samuel Okwaraji suddenly collapsed due to a heart disease he had been nurturing.

When the Super Eagles meet the 1989 opponents once again, the fans want the team to play a match that honours this memory which means winning.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.