It was quite a stunning first-half game in the finals of the ongoing 2023 CAF African Cup of Nations in, Ivory Coast.
The host nation, Ivory Coast, took much of the possession with six total attempts at goal while half of them were on target.
In the 8th minute, Ivorian player, Simon Adingra burst into the box and only had the keeper to beat, but sent a poor shot well over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, former Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie asked for some medical attention with his painful gestures. The extent of his injury was yet to be discovered at that time.
At the 14th-minute mark, a corner from Max Gradel was intercepted by the Nigerian defence.
A rough tackle by Victor Osimhen in the 27th minute made the referee blow his whistle for a foul which prompted a reaction from Coach Jose Peseiro who was stunned as referee Dahane Beida showed him a yellow card.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper Stanley Nwabili was forced into action in the 34th minute to thwart Simon Adingra’s attempt.
He found himself some space after latching on to a pass and unleashed a shot to the right post but couldn’t beat the keeper. The referee and his assistant both pointed at the corner flag.
Seven minutes away from half-time, Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong jumped higher than an Ivorian defender before nodding the ball into the top-left corner of the post.
In added time, Seko Fofana had a good opportunity from long range. His shot was directed towards the middle of the goal, but Nwabili was alert and made a comfortable save.
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