Nigeria struggled to beat a surprisingly offensive Benin, led by a wonderful Stéphane Sessègnon. The Super Eagles are still in the race for the quarters.
After stumbling against African champions Egypt, Nigeria had no choice: the Super Eagles had to win to avoid dropping out early of the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
But Bénin showed in their opening game versus Mozambique, despite conceding a draw after being two goals up, they would have a say in who goes through in group D.
And the Squirrels showed they had a mind to upset quite a few of the favourites. With Sessègnon, Omotoyossi and Ogunbiyi causing havoc in a surprisingly weak Nigerian defense, the Super Eagles had to rely on their forwards to do the job.
And it is Everton striker Yakubu who hands Nigeria their first Cup of Nations win as they edge past Benin 1-0 with a penalty that eases the pressure on Nigeria manager Shaibu Amodu.
But the Super Eagles were far from convincing and can thank Vincent Enyeama’s crossbar which was rattled twice by a lively Squirrels’ frontline.
Nigeria would break the deadlock once but it was sufficient to bounce back.
The last game against Mozambique will be decisive for the Super Eagles.
