Whether you adore him or hate him, you can not neglect Umar Sadiq as a unique figure in the world of football.Nigeria’s striker – who scored the opener in the Super Eagles’ last group stage 1-0 win against Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday night – once again proved he’s of a different ilk.For a moment or two, he’s like a late Diego Maradona with much longer legs, dribbling the entire opponents’ defence. And the next second, you see him stumbling and falling like a Cindrella in shoes two times smaller than needed. But’s that’s Sadiq – Superman and Clark Kent, two in one.Sadiq Umar scores for #TeamNigeria . The oracle is in the house. #AFCONwithJuliet pic.twitter.com/WXXaLs6vvc— Juliet Bawuah (@julietbawuah) January 19, 2022 And he was like that tonight, also, as his national side clinched the third victory in a row to finish the group stage as the only team with the perfect score – three out of three.The underdogs fought like there’s no tomorrow, but the quality and Sadiq mentioned above decided the tie played at Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.He missed a sitter early on as he flew past the keeper only to see himself losing the ball due to some inexplicable clumsiness. The same player was back in action soon, but the Djurtus keeper reacted superbly this time.THU: 22.00: (1.38) MALI (4.60) MAURITANIA (12.0)The teams went to dressing rooms in a stalemate, albeit it was apparent the Super Eagles were the only ones with both the determination and skills to bang in the second period.The expectations were met 10 minutes into the second half, thanks to Sadiq’s tap-in following a perfect Iheanacho’s cross.
As soon as he netted, the Nigerian tactician decided to replace Umar, providing him with a necessary rest ahead of the decisive knock-out phase.Soon after, Troost-Ekong added another for a comfortable 2-0 win and a much-deserved Group D summit for the Super Eagles.GOAL! NIGERIA!Troost-Ekong makes it two.Nigeria 🇳🇬 2-0 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau#AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/jXI9jsKsKd— African Insider #AFCON2021 🏆 (@African_Insider) January 19, 2022 And Sadiq? Who knows what is he up to in the 1/8 finals. One thing’s for sure – it won’t be an ordinary performance by any means.AFCON – GROUP DEgypt – Sudan 1-0 (1-0)/Abdelmoneim 35/Guinea-Bissau – Nigeria 0-2 (0-0)/Sadiq 56, Troost-Ekong 75/