FT: NIGERIA 4-0 LIBYA | God'swill Akpabio International Stadium Uyo Akwa Ibom State
Nigeria go second in Group E ahead of their return leg in Sfax, Tunisia. That was a routine win and possibly the easiest evenings work for Francis Uzoho in goal. Odion Ighalo’s treble did the damage with Samuel Kalu getting his first Nigeria goal
FT: NIGERIA 4-0 LIBYA
90' Three minutes of stoppage time given in Uyo. This has been a routine win for Nigeria but it is certainly a game to forget for the neutrals and Libyan fans.
88' Nigeria continue to ease their way to victory with Samuel Kalu finding the back of the net. He gets the ball outside the Libyans' 18-yard box from Henry Onyekuru before curling a ferocious shot past Mohamed Abdaula. What a match!
85' William Troost-Ekong's fouls hands him a yellow card and a free-kick to the Libyans. Ahmed Ben Ali's freekick stopped by Nigeria's wall and ball is well cleared out to safety
82' CHANCE: Onyekuru will have himself to blame after failing to put the ball past the goalkeeper after been feed with the ball courtesy Alex Iwobi
79' A quiet evening for Ahmed Musa and he has been replaced by Henry Onyekuru as the Super Eagles look very hungry for more goals
76' Ighalo has got a splendid evening and Isaac Success will now be given the task of leading the line.
71' Before Odion Ighalo’s feat against Libya, Nnamdi Oduamadi was the last player to score a hat-trick for the Super Eagles. That was in Nigeria's 6-1 pummelling of Tahiti in the Confederations Cup on June 17, 2013
68' Goooal!!! Odion Ighalo completes his hat-trick. He fires into the net after Ahmed Eltarbi goofed Ahmed Musa's cross. Solid display from the China based man
62' Odion Ighalo has now scored three goals in his last three games for the Super Eagles. Ismael Sharadi out, Rabia Alshadi in for Libya
59' Samuel Kalu outshines three defenders after collecting a pass from impressive Iwobi. The Bordeaux man with only the goalkeeper to beat could not give Nigeria a three-goal advantage
56' Goooal!!! Some good work from Ben Ali sees Nigeria panic slightly at the back but he soon loses possession and Alex Iwobi feeds Odion Ighalo who slots past goalkeeper goalkeeper Abdaula. Super Eagles in cruise control
53' Sabbou covers at the back to stop a run from Alex Iwobi, but he concedes a throw-in in the process with a loose backheel. Meanwhile, Mohamed Zubya replaces Anis Saltou
50' Quite simply Libya need to do more in the second half after a lackluster display in the first 45 minutes. Sadly enough, they have no fans to back them in the stands but they need something to smile about!
47' Musa finds himself in the Libyan area and shoots into the waiting hands of the Libyan goalkeeper after Odion Ighalo fails to show up on time
46' We are back underway for the second half as Nigeria try to build on their slender lead.
Who has impressed you in the first half? Kindly share with me on Twitter @sportingshina
The only concern for Libya is their discipline in the first half. They have been confrontational to say the least. A couple of players may have been fortunate to stay on the pitch, while Wilfred Ndidi was cautioned for his careless tackle. Gernot Rohr will have to monitor his team to ensure they keep their cool
Gernot Rohr’s men will be looking for a second and they could well find it unless Libya raise their game. The Mediterranean Knights have just gone through the motions so far and they need to give Bader Hassan Ahmed some support before they lose this evening.
Odion Ighalo’s penalty is the difference at the interval and Nigeria definitely deserved to be in front. Etebo has been superb so far as he pulls the strings, while Jamiu Collins and Francis Uzoho have also looked sharp.
HALF-TIME Nigeria 1-0 Libya
45' Two minutes of stoppage time...
42' Whistling can be heard around the Godswill Akpabio Stadium and it appears that some of the home fans have lost their patience with the Super Eagles' missed chances.
39' Another misses chance from Nigeria as Samuel Kalu lets Libya win a goalkick. He races into the north Africans' backline but he carelessly let the ball slip out of the touchline
36' After a number of attempted clearances, Libya eventually latch onto a loose pass from Nigeria but Saltou loses possession
33' Samuel Kalu blows away the chance of giving Nigeria the second lead. He finds his way in the Libyan half, beats Ahmed Eltarbi before aiming waywardly at goal instead of feeding captain Ahmed Musa to wreak havoc
30' Freekick to Libya but Sand Masaud picks a needless yellow card for dissent by words towards the referee. The visitors make nothing tangible out of the kick and Nigeria have a chance to regroup
27' The tempo of the game has dropped significantly after 28 minutes. Nigeria cannot afford to put their legs off the pedal after their dominance in the opening minutes.
24' Wilfred Ndidi cautioned for a foul on Mohamed Abdussalam. An elbow to the Libyan's head - that was really careless from the Leicester City midfield trojan. The north Africans restart with a free-kick
21' Libya's offside trap fails Nigeria for the second time in the space of 10 minutes as Ahmed Musa breaks in behind. However, Libya have enough bodies back to quell the opening. Meanwhille, medics attend to Ismalel Sharadi who clashed with Jamilu Collins
18' Nigeria make an early substitution as Ola Aina replaces injured Shehu Abdullahi. Goalkick to the Super Eagles after Leon Balogun outsmarts Mohamed Anis Saltou
15' Libya build possession from the back around the Nigeria half, but are stopped from moving further forward by a press from the Green shirts.
12' Libya almost got the equaliser but Francis Uzoho was called to make an audacious save. Motasem Sabbou beats Shehu Abdullahi to make a cross into the Nigerian goal area but Mohamed Abdussalam’s header was brilliantly stopped by the Elche goalkeeper
9' CHANCE: Ighalo falls inside the penalty area of the Libyans after a slight contact with goalkeeper Mohamed Abdaula but referee Jean-Jacques Ndala waves aside penalty appeals
6' Libya have now started to get back into the game and Sand Masaud and Ali Mohamed are the brains behind their moves.
3' GOAAALLLL Nigeria! It is now 1-0 and Ighalo is the man of the moment. The forward takes responsibility for the penalty and he steps up before firing past Mohamed Abdaula
3' Nigeria make a solid start to the game after winning a penalty at the first attempt as goalkeeper Abdaula fouls Odion Ighalo
1' Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo) gets us underway and both teams are wearing their traditional strips. Nigeria in the chequered green, Libya in Red and Black
The two teams are now in the tunnel and we are just minutes away from kick off. The national anthems await!
LIBYA XI: Abdaula, Alhaghasi, Sabbou, Masaud, Ben Ali, Abdussalah, Eltarbi, Ali Mohamed, Sharadi, Saltou, Ahmed
Nigeria XI: Uzoho, Balogun, Ekong, Abdullahi, Collins, Etebo, Ndidi, Iwobi, Musa, Kalu, Ighalo
TEAM NEWS coming up...
Victory for Nigeria will set them up nicely into the crunch game against the Mediterranean Knights in Sfax and that would pile the pressure on Libya.
They look unsettled following the unexpected resignation of Adel Amrouche. Omar Al-Marime will be hoping to grind out a positive result in Nigeria as victory will put them in the front race for a place in Cameroon 2019.
Libya were considered dark horses by some when the draw was made but the north Africans have surprised many, and the process have remained unbeaten after two games. They spanked Seychelles 5-1 before holding South Africa to a 0-0 draw in Durban.
I am your host Shina Oludare and feel free to follow me on Twitter @sportingshina.
Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group E match between Nigeria and Libya in Uyo. This is the first ever meeting between the two sides in any qualifying series and they head into the game knowing that Seychelles were decimated by South Africa earlier this afternoon.
