Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel was full of praise for Burundi’s display in what was a keenly contested Africa Cup of Nations Group B opener at the Alexandria Stadium.
Olivier Niyungeko’s men produced an inspiring performance against Nigeria in what was their first ever Afcon match.
Having qualified for the continental showpiece without a single defeat from a group which had the likes of Mali and Gabon, the Swallows truly proved in the game that their feat in the qualifiers wasn’t a fluke.
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Their solid defensive wall was, however, breached in the 77th minute, when Ola Aina found substitute Odion Ighalo in the box, via a sublime back-heel pass, with the Shanghai Shenhua frontman dispatching with consummate ease.