TOTALSOCCER

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Thursday, February 09, 2006

EAGLES ESCAPE LIONS DEN



Nigeria claimed the bronze medal at the African Cup of Nations for the third successive time with a 1-0 win over Senegal in Cairo.
Garba Lawal grabbed the winner with just 10 minutes of the game remaining as he fired home a John Utaka cross.
Even Jay-Jay Okocha in his final game for Nigeria failed to light up a dull game that was played at walking pace.
First half chances fell the way of Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo, who crashed a free-kick onto the crossbar, while Guirane Ndaw's long-range dipper for Senegal brought a finger-tip save from a back-peddling Vincent Enyeama.
Nigeria's winner came on 79 minutes, in an otherwise tepid second half.
John Utaka's deep cross from the right-hand side was met at the far post by an incoming Garba Lawal, whose shot nestled neatly in the opposite corner with Senegal goalkeeper Papa Mamadou Diouf well beaten.
Okocha failed to complete the game as he was replaced by Wilson Oruma midway through the second half.
It was not the way the Super Eagles' skipper will have wanted his international career to end, but after winning 74 caps over 13 years, the midfield maestro makes way for the next generation.
His career highlight was winning the Nations Cup in 1994 and he was named player of the 2004 tournament, during which he scored the 1,000th goal in the tournament's history.