Ivory Coast stunned defending champions Nigeria 1-0 at the Al Salam Stadium on Saturday in their Group B match of the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Silas Gnaka’s penalty in the 71st minute was the only goal of the game.Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah was sent off in the 70th minute for a second bookable offence.
“It was a difficult match for both teams. I said before all the teams here want to win this tournament. First games are usually tough. We lost today but we still have a lot to play for. Football is about small details and that’s what made difference today,” Nigeria coach Imama Amapakabo said after the match.
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The second game in the group on Saturday saw South Africa and Zambia play out to a 0-0 draw at the same venue.
Ivory Coast leads the group with three points followed by South Africa and Zambia on one point each. Nigeria is bottom with zero points.
The top two teams of each group will advance to the semi-finals.