Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi shared his delight on Tuesday after scoring to inspire the Super Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Tanzania in their opening match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The centre-back started for the Super Eagles in their opening Group C match and lasted the entire duration of the contest.
In addition to his commanding display at the back, Ajayi opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 36th minute after he was assisted by Alex Iwobi.
Speaking in his post-match interview after the goal helped the Super Eagles to win the match, Ajayi said it felt amazing getting on the scoresheet.
“It’s an amazing feeling to score for your country, and in such a game, it gives us the possibility of getting a good start,” Semi Ajayi said.
The Nigerian defender added, “We had an amazing tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, and we are using that as a standard. We are a team, we don’t need to get goals only from the attackers, and it’s pleasing to contribute to the success of the team. There are a lot of positives to take from the game and some things to fix, and we will work on that to kill games going forward.”
Following his outstanding performance against Tanzania, Semi Ajayi was adjudged the TotalEnergies Man of the Match:
