Igitego cyahesheje Nigeria igikombe cya gatatu mu mateka yayo, cyatsinzwe na Sunday Mba, ku munota wa 40 w’igice cya mbere, nyuma y’umwanya munini wari ushize botsa igitutu ikipe ya Burkina Faso.

N’ubwo akina muri shampiyona ya Nigeria mu ikipe ya Warri Wolves, rutahizamu Sunday Mba w’imyaka 24 yitwaye neza muri uwo mukino, dore ko Rutahizamu Emmanuel Emenike bagombaga kugenderaho yari yaravunikiye mu mukino wa ½ cy’irangiza, akaba atagaragaye mu mukino wa nyuma.

Mu gice cya kabiri, Burkina Faso yabonye amahirwe akomeye ko kwishyura icyo gitego, ubwo Wilfried Sanou yasigaranaga na Vincent Enyeama wari urinze izamu rya Nigeria, ariko amubuza kuwushyira mu rucundura.

Ni ubwa mbere Nigeria yari igeze ku mukino wa nyuma kuva muri 2000 ubwo yatsindwaga na Cameroun. Gusa uyu mwaka ubwo yari imaze kubona itike yo kugera ku mukino wa nyuma, yahabwaga amahirwe menshi yo kongera kwegukana igikombe cya Afurika kuva mu 1994 itagikoraho.

Intsinzi ya Nigeria yatumye umutoza wayo Stephen Keshi, utarahabwaga amahirwe yo kwegukana igikombe ubwo irushanwa ryatangiraga, aba umutoza wa kabiri mu mateka ya Afurika utwaye icyo gikombe nk’umutoza ariko kandi yaranagitwaye nk’umukinnyi.

Amateka nk’ayo yari yarakozwe na Mahmoud El Gohary, wacyegukanye ubwo yakiniraga Misiri mu mwaka wa 1959, yongera kugitwara atoza Misiri mu mwaka wa 1998, mu gihe Stephen keshi we we yari yaragitwaye mu mwaka wa 1994 ubwo yakiniraga Nigeria ari na Kapiteni wayo.

Nigeria yatangiye irushanwa iri mu itsinda rimwe na Burkina Faso banahuriye ku mukino wa nyuma, Zambia na Ethiopia. Mu matsinda Nigeria yari yanganyije na Burkina Faso igitego 1-1.

Nigeria na Burikina Faso ni zo zazamutse muri iryo tsinda, muri ¼ Nigeria isezerera Cote d’Ivoire iyitsinze ibitego 2-1. Muri ½ cy’irangiza, Nigeria yanyuze mu nzira ikomeye, yasezereye Mali iyinyagiye ibitego 4-1 ihita ibona itike yo gukina umukino wa nyuma, aho yatsinze Burikina faso igitego 1-0.

Nigeria yatwaye igikombe cya Afurika mu 1980, mu 1994, no muri 2013, ikaba ibaye igihugu cya kane gifite ibikombe byinshi nyuma ya Misiri ifite birindwi, na Ghana ndetse Cameroun bifite ibikombe bine.

Nyuma yo kwegukana igikombe cya Afurika, Nigeria izanitabira kandi imikino y’igikombe gihuza amakipe y’ibihugu yatwaye ibikombe ku migabane yabyo (Condederation Cup), izabera muri Brazil mu kwezi kwa 06/2013.

Theoneste Nisingizwe