Semi Ajayi said it was “an amazing feeling” to score for his country after his first-half goal laid the foundation for Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Tanzania.
The defender opened the scoring in the 36th minute, rising highest to give the Super Eagles the lead and cap a commanding display that earned him the Man of the Match award as Nigeria made a winning start.
“It’s always an amazing feeling to score for your country, and in a game like this, to get off to a really good start,” Ajayi told reporters after the match. “I was really, really pleased.”
Ajayi’s goal underlined Nigeria’s growing belief that goals can come from across the pitch, not just from their forwards.
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“It shows one team can’t only rely on attackers to get goals,” he said. “We get goals from all over the team, the defenders, the midfielders, everyone needs to chip in if we want to do well in the tournament.”
While pleased with the result, Ajayi admitted there is still work to be done as Nigeria looks ahead to tougher tests. Tanzania pulled a goal back, briefly putting pressure on the Super Eagles before they saw out the contest.
“There are a few things we would iron out and improve, but there are also a lot of positives to take,” he added. “We know we need to do better in terms of seeing out the game and killing teams off, and we’ve been working really hard on that in training.”
For Nigeria, the victory provides early momentum and confidence, setting the tone for what they hope will be a strong tournament run.
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