Nigeria likely to be without Alebiosu and Dessers for the remainder of the Nations Cup

NIGERIA'S Super Eagles will almost certainly be without two players for the Round of 16 in the African Cup of Nations after it emerged that fullback Ryan Alebiosu and striker Cyriel Dessers are carrying injuries likely to rule them out for the rest of the tournament.

Yesterday, the Super Eagles best Uganda's Cranes 3-1 in their final group game to qualify for the knock-out phase of the competition with a maximum nine points. They will most likely face Mozambique in the knock-out phase , although this is still dependent on the results from today's matches.

However, the downside of last night's victory was that Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Alebiosu was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering a leg injury. Alebiosu, 24, performed impressively on the right side of defence against Uganda in place of Bright Osayi-Samuel, playing the full 90 minutes but her got pushed into the advertising hoardings in the game, resulting in a major injury.

His status for the remainder of the tournament is now uncertain, with Nigerian head coach Eric Chelle revealing that the London-born defender had to go to hospital for treatment on a nasty cut suffered late in the second half. It is now likely that Birmingham City fullback Bright Osayi-Samuel will come in for the next game.

Mr Chelle said: “It’s difficult to play, this is his first game in Africa and I am happy with what he did but I’m a little worried because he has an injury. He went to the hospital and leg is open. I’m happy about how he played today and I have a lot of choice right now.”

Meanwhile, Panathinaikos striker Cyriel Dessers, who has yet to play at the tournament is said to be set for a scan to assess a thigh issue. It is feared that he too may not feature during the rest of the tournament due to his injury.