Lookman double sees Nigeria advance to AFCON quarterfinals

Ademola Lookman's brace secured Nigeria's place in next weekend's Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, as they defeated long-time rivals Cameroon 2-0 in the last 16 on Saturday.

Lookman's 36th-minute goal at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium opened the scoring, and he added a second on the stroke of full time as Nigeria dominated Cameroon.

They will face Angola in the last eight in Abidjan next Friday, after the Angolans defeated Namibia 3-0 in Bouake earlier on Saturday in the first round of knockouts.

While Lookman's double contributed significantly to the victory, Nigeria's African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen demonstrated exceptional work ethic and led his team to victory.

It was exactly what Nigeria deserved, as they demonstrated much improved form following a largely uninspiring performance in the group phase, finishing second in their section.

Osimhen created the first goal by closing down defender Oumar Gonzalez and robbing him of the ball before unselfishly passing it to Lookman on his right, whose shot was close to goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa but sneaked under him into the net.

Lookman had a chance for a second goal in the 56th minute from a free kick on the Cameroon penalty area, as Osimhen's pace troubled the Indomitable Lions throughout.

Lookman set up Ola Aina for a chance in the 85th minute, but it was saved before a clever passing move involving Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey saw Lookman finish at the near post in the 90th minute.

Nigeria had the ball in the net after nine minutes, but it was ruled out due to a VAR check. Semi Ojayi was flagged offside before converting a rebound from close range after Ondoa twice attempted to punch clear from a corner.

Ondoa was once again preferred over Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was benched by Cameroon after a poor performance against Senegal the previous week.

Nigeria has advanced to the final eight for the 13th time in 14 Cup of Nations finals appearances.

On Sunday, giant-killers Equatorial Guinea will play Guinea in Abidjan, followed by a match between Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo in San Pedro, where Mohamed Salah is out injured.

More last-16 games are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with hosts Ivory Coast taking on Senegal.

SportsLigue