International Football
RUSSIA 2018 DESIRE PROPELS EAGLES IN MOROCCO
Ardent desire to gain places in Nigeria’s 23 –man squad for the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia will be the key incentive for Nigeria’s home –based professionals, who begin campaign for glory in the 5th African Nations Championship in Morocco on Monday.
Gernot Rohr, Technical Adviser of the A squad, has made it known that outstanding individuals would be considered for the showpiece in the Russian Federation in the summer, leaving the fate of the home boys lucky to make it to Morocco firmly in their own hands.
Nigeria will open its account against 2016 hosts Rwanda on Monday in Tangier, which is on the Strait of the Atlantic Ocean, but the focus will be more straight and direct on the actors from the Nigeria Professional Football League, who have an opportunity to stake claims for places in Mr. Rohr’s ensemble.
Franco-German tactician Rohr must name his 23 –man team for the World Cup finals 48 hours after the prestige friendly with England’s Three Lions at Wembley on June 2.
The race therefore begins furious and fast on Monday and Rwanda’s Amavubi, who have been victims to Nigerian teams on several occasions in recent memory, are on the firing line at the Stade Ibn Batouta, from 7.30pm Moroccan time (8.30pm Nigeria).
The match comes up after the Group C opener between 2014 champions Libya and Equatorial Guinea, which starts at 5.30pm Nigeria time.
At the same venue, four days later, the Eagles file out against 2014 champions Libya, and Morocco’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Moha Ou Ali Tagma already warned the Eagles to beware of a team that is actually the A team of the North African nation.
“You see Libya could be difficult because not many of their players go outside the country. So, in truth, it is practically the A team that is coming to the CHAN,” Tagma said last week.
Equatorial Guinea will be the opposition in the Eagles’ final match of the group phase at the Stade Adrar in Agadir on the evening of 23rd January.
Head Coach Salisu Yusuf told thenff.com: “The players know what is at stake. We are not here just for the CHAN.
“Everyone is thinking of the World Cup as well. For the players, they have a massive opportunity to play their way into the A team for the big one in Russia.
“However, at every opportunity, myself and my assistants have made it clear to the boys that they must work as a team.
“If they win the tournament, the chances of several players making the team to Russia will be high. No man can clap with only one hand. Team work is key in this business.”
Incidentally, Yusuf is deputy to Rohr in the A squad, and the latter will watch the matches from the stands in Morocco.
Rohr said: “The CHAN is a major competition and opportunity for us to take another look at the home boys. There could be some of them who will convince the technical crew that they can fight for places in the A team.”
Of the 16 teams taking part in the 23 –day tournament, only players of hosts Morocco and Nigeria are inspired by the possibility of being drafted into their main teams for the FIFA World Cup.
Certainly, Morocco’s players showed what that kind of motivation could amount to, when they hammered neighbours Mauritania 4-0 in Saturday’s opening match in Casablanca. Ayoub el Kaabi scored two of the goals.
Africa’s three other Russia 2018 flagbearers, viz Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal are not in Morocco. Egypt qualified but forfeited their slot and that enabled Rwanda (Nigeria’s opponents on Monday) to sneak in ahead of Ethiopia via a play-off.
Tunisia won the 2011 competition, beating Angola in the final in Sudan. But the team that would be missed the most is the Democratic Republic of Congo, who won the 2009 and 2016 championships, but were rendered ineligible for Morocco 2018 on the away goal rule by neighbours Congo Brazzaville.
For Nigeria, goalkeeper and skipper Ikechukwu Ezenwa already has a stead in the A team, as he won applause for performances against Cameroon home-and-away in the race to Russia, and was also in goal for the away tie to Algeria in Constantine on the final day of the series.
Oladele Ajiboye, number one goalkeeper of reigning Nigeria champions Plateau United, won the World Cup with Nigeria’s U17 team 11 years ago and has featured for the U20 and U23 teams.
Defender Osas Okoro, midfielder Rabiu Ali and forward Anthony Okpotu impressed at the WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana in September 2017.
Enugu Rangers’ full back Kalu Orji Okogbue has been in the A team camp previously, and defender Stephen Eze and midfielder Ifeanyi Ifeanyi have also sniffed the oxygen in that territory.
Plateau United’s Daniel James, Enyimba’s Augustine Oladapo and Emeka Atuloma of Rivers United are capable of springing surprises.
New boys Sunday Faleye, Ifeanyi Nweke and Dayo Ojo also have the ability to rise to the occasion in North Africa and give Mr. Rohr pleasant problems.
NIGERIA’S SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba FC); Oladele Ajiboye (Plateau United); Theophilus Afelokhai (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: Osas Okoro (Rangers International); Daniel James (Plateau United); Kalu Orji Okogbue (Rangers International); Ikouwem Utin (Enyimba FC); Abdullahi Musa (Wikki Tourists); Timothy Danladi (Katsina United); Ifeanyi Nweke (Kano Pillars); Stephen Eze (Kano Pillars)
Midfielders: Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Akwa United); Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars); Augustine Oladapo (Enyimba FC); Ekundayo Ojo (Sunshine Stars)
Forwards: Emeka Atuloma (Rivers United); Anthony Okpotu (Lobi Stars); Eneji Moses (Plateau United); Ibrahim Mustapha (Enyimba FC); Emeka Ogbuh (Rivers United); Sunday Faleye (Shooting Stars); Nur Muhammed (El-Kanemi Warriors); Okechukwu Gabriel (Akwa United)
GROUP A (CASABLANCA)
Morocco
Guinea
Sudan
Mauritania
GROUP B (MARRAKECH)
Cote d’Ivoire
Zambia
Uganda
Namibia
GROUP C (TANGIER)
Libya
Nigeria
Rwanda
Equatorial Guinea
GROUP D (AGADIR)
Angola
Cameroon
Congo
Burkina Faso
NIGERIA’S MATCHES
Vs Rwanda (15 January) – Tangier (7.30pm Morocco; 8.30pm Nigeria)
Vs Libya (19 January) – Tangier (4.30pm Morocco; 5.30pm Nigeria)
Vs Eq. Guinea (23 January) – Agadir (7pm Morocco; 8pm Nigeria)
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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