BY KUNLE SOLAJA

It is 67 years this Friday when the premier football ground in Nigeria, the Onikan Stadium, Lagos was first renamed from its original name, The Association Ground.

On this day in 1952, the arena, which was the first home ground of the Nigerian national football team was renamed as King George V (KGV) to mark the coronation of the England monarch.

It is therefore a coincidence that the Nigerian team will draw its Africa Cup of Nations’ opponents on this occasion in Egypt.

Technically, the strongest of the three opponents of the Super Eagles is expected to come from Pot 2. The second level ranked pot hasDR Congo, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Algeria.

One of these six teams will belong to the same group with the Super Eagles. The draw at the famous Pyramids of Egypt will determine which team.

But significantly, none of the six is strange to the Nigerian side across all competitions, especially the Africa Cup of Nations.

Only Guinea has never fallen in the same group with Nigeria even though both met at the second round of the 1976 edition in Ethiopia. The encounter ended 1-1, no thanks to the last minute equalizer by Papa Camara after Muda Lawal’s early second half goal.

Nigeria and DR Congo (then Zaire) met at Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, in the opening Group B encounter in 1976. Nigeria, then the underdogs, shocked the defending champions with a 4-2 defeat.

Both met again at the Senegal ’92 quarter finals and that of Tunisia ’94. Nigeria triumphed at both matches. Thus, DR Congo has never beaten Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Ghana, another team in Pot 2, is Nigeria’s eternal football rival. Both were in the same Group A at Ghana ’78 and Group B at Cote d’Ivoire 1984.

The first match ended 1-1 in Accra while Nigeria under Chief Adegboye Onigbinde shocked Ghana, 2-1 as defending champions in 1984. The two teams met again in the semi-finals of Senegal ’92 when Ghana avenged the 1984 defeat.

They were at it again at Ghana 2008 second round encounter in which Ghana again triumphed. But before then, Nigeria eliminated Ghana at the quarterfinals of Mali 2002. Both teams clashed again at Angola 2010 semi-finals and Ghana won 1-0.

Mali was in the same Group A at Mali 2002 ending the tie goalless. When they met again at the third place match, Nigeria won 1-0. Nigeria won again 2-1 at the losers’ final match of Tunisia 2004 before a goalless outing at the group stage of Ghana 2008. 

The Super Eagles had a massive 4-1 win when both met again at the semi finals of South Africa 2013. So, Mali has never beaten Nigeria in Africa Cup finals’ history!

Cote d’Ivoire was the only team that Nigeria did not beat on the way to winning the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations. Both team played goalless. But when met 10 years later in the same Group A of the continental premier competition, Nigeria won 1-0.

In the march to success at the Tunisia ’94 Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire was the Super Eagles’ last stepping stone to the final, winning 4-2 on penalties after 2-2 score lines at regulation and extra time.

But in 2006 competition in Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire had a revenge of 1-0 in the semi finals and repeated the same at the group stage of 2008 in Sekondi, Ghana. When both met at the quarterfinals of South Africa 2013, Nigeria had a soul-lifting 2-1 win, which sustained the Stephen Keshi-coached side to the ultimate victory in the final. From Pot 2, which team is preferred to be in Nigeria’s group. You can drop your comment ahead of the draw.