Unforgettable heartbreak in Cameroon: Nigeria’s EPL star hungry for AFCON redemption

Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, has expressed Nigeria’s ambition to clinch victory at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, set to be held in Ivory Coast, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Super Eagles secured their place in the tournament after defeating Sierra Leone 3-2 last month.

Awoniyi was part of the Nigerian squad that participated in the previous AFCON held in Cameroon, where they were knocked out in the knockout stage. 

Despite playing second fiddle to Napoli’s Victor Osimhen at the national level, Awoniyi has been a pivotal player for Nottingham Forest. His ten goals last season contributed significantly to the team’s survival in the top flight, having returned to the Premier League in 2022 after several years in the Championship.

Awoniyi, however, remains one of the key attackers for the Super Eagles.

Delighted by Nigeria’s qualification among the continent’s elite teams, Awoniyi expressed the team’s determination to win the upcoming tournament in an interview with Channels Television.

He emphasized the squad’s happiness in achieving qualification and their focused goal of capturing the AFCON title this time.

“I think everyone in the squad is happy; the first stage is to qualify for the AFCON which we did already, then the next stage now is just to try everything possible to win the AFCON, which is the target for the country,” Awoniyi stated.

“The last one was an experience, I was there and we are happy we are there again and of course, we want to go there and we want to win the trophy for sure.”

Nigeria have previously triumphed in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980, 1994, and 2013, and the team aims to add another victory to their impressive record.