Nigeria defeated Congo 2-0 in Point Noire on Saturday to brighten their chances of qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup Of Nations.
Ikechukwu Uche’s penalty and Aaron Samuel’s strike gave the defending champions hope of making the finals, following the federation woes that had caused a looming FIFA ban due to internal conflicts in the Nigeria Football Federation.
Coach Stephen Keshi whose future with Nigeria still remains unclear, came out of the dugout with the team, marking a successful return, having led them to the top honours in the previous tournament in South Africa.
Nigeria had a few clear-cut chances in the first half and only converted from the penalty spot when Emmanuel Emenike was brought down inside the box.
Uche found the back of the net for the opener with a low finish into the bottom-left corner before Congo were awarded the second penalty kick of the match that Thievy Bifouma missed five minutes later.
A swift counter-attack following a great save from Enyeama saw Nigeria secure their victory, substitute Samuel curling a left-footed effort beyond Massa for the victory.
Nigeria moved into second place, with goal difference putting them ahead of Congo as the side heads into the final round of games in Group A, where they will take on South Africa on Wednesday.
