By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria’s Super Eagles B on Saturday spanked the Black Satellites of Ghana 3-1 to qualify for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) scheduled for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Africa’s most populous nation left it till the second leg CHAN qualifier in Uyo before they could join the likes of Niger and Sudan that had earlier booked their places.
The first leg at the Baba Yara stadium Accra Ghana had ended goalless.
The Nigerian side have been out of the competition in the past six years.
Ghana has been ‘small pepper’ to Nigerian football as the Ghanaian local players stopped Nigeria from reaching the CHAN finals twice in 2001 and 2023 which took place in Ivory Coast and Algeria respectively.
They also stopped the Super Eagles in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers playing 1-1 in Abuja and Nigeria had to bow on away goals rule.
In their last five meetings, Nigeria played 1-1 in Abuja in a world cup qualifier on 29th March 2022; on 28th August 2022 Ghana won the 1st leg of CHAN encounter 2-0 in Ghana and on 3rd September 2022 Nigeria also won the 2nd leg 2-0 but Ghana scaled through 5-4 on penalties. In a friendly encounter of 22nd March 2024 Nigeria won 2-1 and in the last encounter of 22nd December 2024 it ended goalless.
Ghana in 2009 at Ivory Coast lost the CHAN final to Democratic Republic of Congo 0-2 and at South Africa 2014 again lost in the finals to Libya 4-3 on penalties after a goalless full time.
Nigeria made three appearances bagging the Bronze after beating Zimbabwe by a lone goal in South Africa and at Morocco 2018, Nigeria was whipped 4-0 by hosts Morocco in the final.
