Ndidi's Nigeria Seal Opening AFCON Victory

Internationals
22 Jun 2019
1 Minute
Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was typically assured as Nigeria defeated Burundi in their Africa Cup of Nations opener on Saturday.

- Wilfred Ndidi starred in Nigeria's 1-0 win over Burundi in the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday
- The Leicester City midfielder received the CAF Man of the Match award
- Former Watford striker Odion Ighalo found the net for the Super Eagles late on
- Ndidi's Nigeria will now face Guinea and Madagascar in Group B

With a 1-0 success in Alexandria, courtesy of Odion Ighalo's 77th-minute strike, the Super Eagles climbed to the Group B summit ahead of the evening fixture between Guinea and Madagascar.

Ndidi's performance was so impressive that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presented the Foxes midfielder with the Man of the Match award at full-time.

However, following an even start to the clash, Ndidi's side survived an early scare as Burundi struck the crossbar through defender Frederic Nsabiyumva's header.

Paul Onuachu carved out Nigeria's first real chance after 12 minutes, meanwhile, as his header forced Burundi shot-stopper Jonathan Nahimana to make a strong save.

Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze were the Super Eagles' main attacking threats, but Gernot Rohr's side struggled to break down the competition's lowest-ranked side.

Shanghai Greenland Shenhua's Ighalo, who spent three seasons at Watford, was finally able to produce a smart finish with 13 minutes to go, though, for the three-time AFCON winners.

Ndidi played the full 90 minutes on his 26th outing for his country, who tackle Guinea on Wednesday 26 June (3:30pm BST) and Madagascar on Sunday 30 June (5pm BST).

Make sure to check back to LCFC.com throughout the coming weeks for more updates on Ndidi's progress in Egypt.