The result means the Eagles now replace Sudan in the third position with four points after four games but still behind pace setters South Africa and Congo in the Group A standings.
Ahmed Musa was the hero as Nigeria’s Super Eagles recorded their first win in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification stage with a 3-1 win over Sudan at the National Stadium in Abuja.
The Eagles started the brighter of the two sides as Raheem Lawal and Emmanuel Emenike all come close to breaking the deadlock early on but start of the heavy rain slowed the pace of the game with both teams being very cautious not to make mistakes.
The second half turned out to be a totally different affair with Nigeria’s goal coming as early as the 48th minute after a nice through pass from Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel to Musa who sent the Sudanese keeper the wrong way to send Abuja fans into wild jubilation.
The lead turned out to be short-lived as Bakri Alamdina equalised for the visitors in the 55th minute after sloppy defending from Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo.
China-based Aaron Samuel, whose inclusion in the team has been subject of much criticism, scored an acrobatic goal in his debut to make the score 2-1; before man of the match Musa dribbled the defender before scoring his second and Nigeria’s third for the day, to cap off the reigning African champions first win in the qualifiers.
The result means the Eagles now replace Sudan in the third position with four points after four games but still behind pace setters South Africa and Congo in the Group A standings.