Jesus Owono the Eagles stopper: The saviour who thwarted Osimhen and Nigeria

Jesus Owono was the star and hero for Equatorial Guinea as his breathtaking performance denied Nigeria and Victor Osimhen in the AFCON opener.

The National Thunder held the Super Eagles to a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw in Group A on Sunday evening. 

The Super Eagles were made to rue some missed chances en route to a shaky start to the quest to win a fourth AFCON.

Equatorial Guinea drew first blood when Jose Machin capitalised on a loose ball from Alex Iwobi to set up Iban Salvador, who fired in a left-footed low drive into the bottom corner to give them a 1-0 lead after the half-hour mark.

The lead only lasted two minutes before Osimhen headed into an empty net following good work from Ademola Lookman to open his AFCON2023 account. 

Nigeria pushed for the winner, coming close on occasions through Osimhen and Zaidu Sanusi, however, Owono proved a bulwark in the Equatorial Guinea sticks with his saves denying Nigeria. 

Equatorial Guinea held on for a share of the spoils to register a first point against one of the pre-tournament history.

The 22-year-old, who plays for LaLiga outfit, Deportivo Alaves, was rewarded after the game with the Man of the Match award.

Looking at his numbers, Jesus Owono was a worthy saviour for his side and deserving of the award.

During his time on the pitch against Nigeria, Jesus, who was the busiest of the goalkeepers on the pitch, made six (6) saves, five (5) of which were inside the box per Sofascore.

He also had two (2) punches, three (3) high claims and 51 touches on the ball, with 50% pass accuracy.

While he had two clearances, Owono, however, completed just eight (8) of 25 attempted long balls.