Nigeria End Ghana Jinx as Eagles Pick CHAN 2025 Ticket

Femi Solaja

Nigeria capped a woeful 2024 season for Ghana’s football yesterday as the Home-based Eagles defeated the Black Galaxies to qualify for next year’s Championship of African Nations (CHAN) competition.

It was the first time in recent times that any Nigerian team would overcome Ghana at different grades of football tournaments, including the Super Eagles’ high-profile defeat in the final World Cup qualifying tournament to Qatar 2022.

The Galaxies had been a stumbling block to Nigeria on three different occasions before yesterday’s win and the same thing applies to Remo Stars of Ikenne as they failed to go beyond the playoff match against Medeama FC via a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 score line over the two legs.

But yesterday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Daniel Ogunmodede side was on the front foot at the start of the match and were rewarded with a goal in the 20th minute when Remo Stars’ wing back, Sodiq

Ismail beat Ghana’s offside trap to get the opener.

His club captain, Nduka Junior doubled the advantage three minutes later with another from close range and in the 25th minute, it was the turn of Saviour Isaac to extend Nigeria’s commanding lead till the half time.

The Black Galaxies came back a bit stronger in the second half and they were able to reduce the deficit in the 71st minute through Amakhona Stephen.

All their efforts to level up the game against Nigeria proved abortive as the game ended 3-1 in favour of the host.

The Black Stars have failed to reach the 35th AFCON finals, from a group that included Sudan, Angola and Niger Republic, and the Galaxies will throw the kitchen sink at the Super Eagles B to ensure they don’t follow in that negative trend. Ghana last missed the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004.

For Nigeria, Ghana have dominated their African Nations Championship clashes, with the Eagles winning only one of six previous clashes. Three have resulted in scoreless draws. Ghana won 3-2 in Accra in 2008 and also 2-0 in Accra in 2022, and to boot, have claimed victory even in the ones that ended in ties.

The 0-0 draw in Calabar in 2008 meant Ghana sailed through to the inaugural CHAN finals in Cote d’Ivoire on the strength of their 3-2 win in Accra two weeks earlier, and when their semi-final clash in the third instalment of the final tournament in South Africa in 2014 ended 0-0, the Galaxies prevailed 4-1 after a penalty shootout.