International Football
Super Eagles are in Oran, where they once inflicted biggest defeat on Algeria
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Two former African champions, Algeria and Nigeria who failed to make it to the 2022 World Cup are facing each other tonight as part of their rebuilding process.
In continuation of In continuation of tradition, www.sportsvillagesquare.com presents key points of interest.
- The biggest away defeat Nigeria ever inflicted on Algeria was in Oran, the venue of tonight’s match. In the desperate bid to make it to Germany 2006, the Super-charged Super Eagles beat Algeria 5-2 in Oran. It was the first time the team had defeated Algeria on their home soil.
- When both teams met at the semi finals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, it was Nigeria’s 92nd match in the competition’s history and the seventh semi final match the Super Eagles played in the 63-year old competition.
- Algeria on the other side played their 73rd Africa Cup of Nations’ match.
- Nigeria’s national team won its first Africa Cup of Nations’ title by beating Algeria 3-0 in 1980.
- Ten years later, Algeria won their first Africa Cup of Nations by beating Nigeria 1-0 in 1990.
- In qualifying for the World Cup for the first time, Algeria used Nigeria as the stepping stone in October 1981.
- Nigeria responded by also qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in October 1993, using Algeria as the stepping stone.
- Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ unbeaten run of 34 matches in the World Cup qualifying series was technically broken by Algeria in November 2017 when FIFA reversed the on-field result of 1-1 to a 0-3 draw by Nigeria following Super Eagles’ fielding of Shehu Abdullahi who on account of yellow cards in preceding matches was ineligible. Otherwise, Nigeria’s unbeaten run could have been 35. The figure 34 however still remains the longest in Africa. Nigeria last lost a World Cup qualifying match in Luanda on June 20, 2004 when Angola had a 1-0 win in the race to Germany 2006. Nigeria’s record is the second longest unbeaten run globally after that of Spain’s 59. Nigeria’s 34 unbeaten run is even four ahead that of 2014 World Cup winners, Germany.
- Both Algeria and Nigeria were the last two African teams standing at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
- Both teams lost to European sides on the same day at the Brazil 2014 Round of 16 encounters. Nigeria lost 0-2 to France; Algeria lost 1-2 to Germany. If the two African teams had won their respective Round of 16 matches, they would have clashed in the quarter finals, thus an African team could had gotten to the semi finals. It would have also been the first time two African teams clashed at the World Cup.
- When both teams met in Uyo in November 2016, it was Nigeria’s milestone of 100th World Cup qualifying match and 50th home game.
- Former Nigeria’s strongman of defence, Bright Omokaro, got his nickname of “Ten-Ten” when he hacked down an Algerian player who could neither return to the field nor be substituted and that evened the line-up after Nigeria’s Ademola Adeshina had been red-carded during a semi final clash of the two teams at Maroc ‘88. Maverick Nigerian radio commentator, the late Ernest Okonkwo screamed: “Omokaro has made it ten-ten.” From then, ‘Ten-Ten’ became the nickname of the hard tackling defender.
- Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha scored the first of his 16 international goals for Nigeria when he converted free kick against Algeria in a 13 July 1993 World Cup qualifying match in Lagos which Nigeria won 4-1.
- Austin Okocha’s brother, Emma Okocha’s only goal for Nigeria was scored against Algeria in the opening match of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algiers. Nigeria lost 5-1.
ALGERIA – NIGERIA: HEAD-TO-HEAD
P W D L F A
Algeria 22 10 3 9 29 28
Nigeria 22 9 3 10 28 29
- 10 Jan.1973 (2AAG) Nigeria 2-2 Algeria
- 28 Mar.1978 (3AAG)Algeria 1-0 Nigeria
- 22 Mar. 1980 (Afcon) Nigeria 3-0 Algeria
- 10 Oct. 1981 (WCq)Nigeria 0-2 Algeria
- 30 Oct. 1981 (WCq)Algeria 2-1 Nigeria
- 10 Mar. 1982 (Afcon) Algeria 2-1 Nigeria
- 11 Mar. 1984 (Afcon) Algeria 0-0 Nigeria
- 15 Jan. 1988 (Oq) Algeria 1-0 Nigeria
- 30 Jan. 1988 (Oq) Nigeria 2-0 Algeria
- 23 Mar.1988 (Afcon) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria *(8 -9 penalty shoot-out)
- 2 Mar. 1990 (Afcon) Algeria 5-1 Nigeria
- 16 Mar. 1990 (Afcon) Algeria 1-0 Nigeria
- 13 July 1993 (WCq) Nigeria 4-1 Algeria
- 8 Oct. 1993 (WCq) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria
- 21 Jan. 2002 (Afcon) Algeria 0-1 Nigeria
- 3 Jul. 2004 (WCq) Nigeria 1-0 Algeria
- 8 Sep. 2005 (WCq) Algeria 2-5 Nigeria
- 30 Jan.2010 (Afcon) Algeria 0-1 Nigeria
- 12 Nov.2016 (WCq) Nigeria 3-1 Algeria
- 10 Nov. 2017 (WCq) Algeria 3-0 Nigeria * actual scores 1-1. Match awarded against Nigeria for fielding ineligible player)
- 14 Jul. 2019 (Afcon) Algeria 2-1 Nigeria
- 9. Oct. 2020 (F) Algeria 1-0 Nigeria
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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