Nigeria edge into second round

Mikel John Obi and Ayegbeni Yakubu were on target as Nigeria set up an African Nations Cup quarter-final with hosts Ghana with…

Mikel John Obi and Ayegbeni Yakubu were on target as Nigeria set up an African Nations Cup quarter-final with hosts Ghana with a 2-0 win over Benin in their final group game.

Ivory Coast's 3-0 triumph over Mali in the night's other Group B encounter ensured the Super Eagles a berth in the last eight.

Coming into the final round of fixtures, Nigeria needed to win and hope tournament favourites Ivory Coast beat Mali, while also recovering a goal-difference deficit of two.

The Super Eagles went ahead when the Benin goalkeeper parried Taye Taiwo's long-range free-kick. Peter Odemwingie latched onto the loose ball and lofted it back into the area for Chelsea midfielder Mikel to nod home Nigeria's first goal at this year's tournament.

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Mikel helped put the game to bed after 86 minutes, splitting the Benin defence with a great through-ball and Everton striker Yakubu latched onto it to fire home.

Ivory Coast made it three wins from three to sealed their passage to the quarter-finals as group winners.

Goals from Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, Marc Zoro and Boubacar Sanogo earned the 2006 finalists a meeting with Guinea in the knockout stage.

The favourites were off to a flyer in Accra when Drogba opened the scoring in the ninth minute after latching onto a defence-splitting pass from Yaya Toure and firing the ball home from the left side of the penalty area.

Zoro doubled his side's lead when he rose highest from a Koffi N'Dri corner after 55 minutes.

Five minutes from the end, Sanogo had a simple tap-in after Toure's powerful 25-yard shot from the right was only parried, and the Ivorians eased to victory.