BY KUNLE SOLAJA

Both Nigeria and Guinea meet in Alexandria on Wednesday in continuation of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

As usual, www.sportsvillagesquare.com takes an insightful look at the match and comes out with the following 20 points of interest.

• The match marks the 70^th year since the Nigeria national team was first composed on June 26, 1949 when the names of 17 of the eventual 18 national team players were announced. The 18^th player, Okoronkwo Kanu (anglicized as Kanoo) was added on July 2, 1949. The announcement was made by the national team selection committee after four trial matches involving selected sides from the Northern Nigeria, East, West and Lagos.

• The encounter with Guinea will be Nigeria’s 88^th Africa Cup of Nations’ match in 18 out of 32 editions. The Super Eagles have won 46 of the preceding 87 matches; lost 19 drew 22 and had scored 121 goals, conceding 84.

• The encounter will be Guinea’s 41^st Africa Cup of Nations’ match in 13 of 32 editions winning 11 drew 15, lost 13 and scoring 55 goals while conceding 57.

• The match will be the second time both Nigeria and Guinea will in the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Both played in the second round of the 1976 edition in Ethiopia.

• Guinea’s coach, Paul Put from Belgium will be lining up a team against Nigeria for the third time. In 2013, he guided Burkina Faso to two matches against Nigeria. The first at the group stage ended 1-1, while Nigeria won the second match, the final game of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He will therefore be on a vengeance mission on Wednesday.

• Guinea was the stepping stone for Nigeria’s first participation at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1963.
• Guinea was the team that denied Nigeria qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the last to be held on an even-numbered year.

• Guinea was the last team the Super Eagles played against at the Abuja arena, now renamed MKO Abiola National Stadium.

• Guinea was the team Nigeria beat to get first continental honours, the gold medal of the 2^nd All Africa Games football event, the only gold medal Nigeria won in the 54-year old sports fiesta.

• Some Nigeria-Guinea matches had dramatic endings featuring last minute goals. There are three of such instances.

• In 1976 both met at the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia. Final score line was 1-1 following Muda Lawal’s goal in the 52^nd minute and Papa Camara’s equaliser at the dot of 90 minutes.

• On April 25, 1981, both teams met in A World Cup qualifier in Lagos. Scores were even in the first leg in Conakry, making the Lagos match the ultimate decider. Henry Nwosu scored in the last minute to give Nigeria the edge.

• On October 8, 2011, both played a 2-2 draw as Guinea’s Ibrahim Diallo scored a last minute goal that denied Nigeria, the qualification for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

•   Mikel Obi, if fielded, will be the only member of the 2011 squad of the Super Eagles that will be in the line-up when Nigeria faces Guinea again on Wednesday.

• Both Nigeria and Guinea maintained rivalries in the 1963 with the introduction of the Tafawa Balewa Cup, a trophy donated for bilateral competition by the first Nigerian Prime Minister. In the first leg of the only edition of the competition, Guinea beat Nigeria 3-0 in Conakry while the return leg ended 1-1 in Lagos.

• Former Nigerian striker, Daniel Amokachi last scored for the Super Eagles in an encounter with Guinea on April 5, 1997.

• Former Nigerian skipper, Muda Lawal scored the first of his 11 goals for Nigeria in the March 9, 1976 match against at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia.

• Super Eagles have three victories in the Africa Cup of Nations and placed runners up five times and seven third placed positions while Guinea’s best outing is the runners up position in 1976.

• Both Nigeria and Guinea maintained rivalries in the 1963 with the introduction of the Tafawa Balewa Cup, a trophy donated for bilateral competition by the first Nigerian Prime Minister. In the first leg of the only edition of the competition, Guinea beat Nigeria 3-0 in Conakry while the return leg ended 1-1 in Lagos

• A win for Nigeria on Wednesday secures a Round of 16 ticket, even with a match to spare.

• Wednesday’s match will be the 15^th confrontation of the Super Eagles and Syli Nationale of Guinea. Honours are evenly shared with both teams winning four matches and losing the same number of games. They drew six times. This Africa Cup of Nations’ confrontation will therefore be a “tie-breaker”.

NIGERIA-GUINEA HEAD-TO-HEAD

                   P       W       D       L        GF     GA

Nigeria       14      4        6        4        17      14

Guinea       14      4        6        4        14      17

• 27 Jul. 1963 (Afconq) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea
• 6 Oct. 1963 (Afconq) Guinea 1-0 Nigeria * match awarded to Nigeria on technical ground
• 1 Dec. 1971(Balewa Cup) Guinea 3-0 Nigeria
• 30 Jan. 1972(Balewa Cup) Nigeria 1-1 Guinea
• 18 Jan. 1973 (2AAG) Nigeria 2-0 Guinea
• 9 March 1976 (Afcon) Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
• 12 Apr. 1981 (WCq) Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
• 25 Apr. 1981 (WCq) Nigeria 1-0 Guinea
• 9 Apr. 1989(Afconq) Guinea 1-1 Nigeria
• 22 Apr. 1989 (Afconq) Nigeria 3-0 Guinea
• 5 Apr. 1997 (WCq) Nigeria 2-1 Guinea
• 17 Aug. 1997 (WCq) Guinea 1-0 Nigeria
• 10 Oct. 2010 (Afconq) Guinea 1-0 Nigeria
• 8 Oct. 2011 (Afconq) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea