Nigeria’s campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations has gotten off to a rocky start, defying expectations that they would cruise through Group A.

Drawn with hosts Cote d’Ivoire and perceived minnows Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, the Super Eagles were tipped as runaway favorites to finish top of the pile. However, a lackluster 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea has dashed hopes of an easy progression to the knockouts.

Despite boasting the talents of African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen against a team whose stars play in Europe’s lower leagues, Nigeria struggled to impose their quality. The underdogs shockingly took the lead through Iban Salvador in the 36th minute.

Osimhen quickly equalized but was guilty of squandering several gilt-edged chances either side of the interval. His profligacy allowed Equatorial Guinea’s goalkeeper Jesus Owono, who plies his trade with Spain’s Alaves, to emerge as the game’s standout player.

As the match wore on, the effects of Nigeria’s contentious pre-tournament training camp in the stifling Gulf climate were evident. Key men like Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon tired rapidly, unable to match the intensity of their fired-up opponents.

The loss through injury of bright young midfielder Alhassan Yusuf compounds matters ahead of a crunch clash with the Ivorians. Manager Jose Peseiro must address his team’s lack of cutting edge and questions over their physical conditioning to keep qualification hopes alive.

With Cote d’Ivoire on 3 points, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea on 1, and Guinea-Bissau point-less, the Super Eagles face a far tougher task than anticipated to seal a last 16 spot from the group they were tipped to top.