It has been a successful Africa Cup of Nations so far for the Hornets out in Cameroon, with all selected players making it through to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Golden Boys defender William Troost-Ekong etched his name onto the scoresheet as Nigeria progressed to the next round with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on January 19.
The Super Eagles took the lead early-on in the second half when Kelechi Iheanacho’s outside-of-the-foot pass found Umar Sadiq at the far post to tap it home.
Nigeria captain Troost-Ekong then scored his third-ever goal for the Super Eagles, passing it into an empty net after Moses Simon’s shot had cannoned off the crossbar.
The defender’s strike was originally ruled out for offside but following a VAR check, the goal was correctly awarded.
After the clash, the 28-year-old was awarded Man of the Match for his performance with his team having cruised to victory.
Hornets loanee Maduka Okoye was on the bench for the encounter, with Nigeria’s path to the knockout stages already sealed as top of Group D.
The Super Eagles’ Round of 16 fixture is on Sunday (January 23, KO 7pm UK time), against the best third-placed side of Group E or F.
Elsewhere, Watford and Morocco duo Adam Masina and Imrân Louza qualified first in Group C, securing their places in the next round of the competition after a 2-2 draw with Gabon on January 18.
Masina started at left-back with Louza amongst the substitutes, as Gabon took an early lead.
It would take until the final quarter of the match for any further goalmouth action. Sofiane Boufal won a penalty and converted the spot-kick, as the Atlas Lions levelled the game and looked to turn up the pressure.
Despite the equaliser, Gabon would retake the lead courtesy of an own-goal, leaving Morocco searching for a piece of magic going into the dying stages.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi would produce that moment with a stunning, last-gasp free-kick strike to take top-spot from Gabon.
The Atlas Lions’ Round of 16 fixture is against Malawi on Tuesday (Janaury 25, KO 7pm UK time).
