AFCON

Nigeria’s Peseiro Eyes End Of Goal Drought Against Cameroon –

Published

8 months ago

January 26, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Peseiro Eyes End Of Goal Drought Against Cameroon -

Nigeria coach José Peseiro compared his team’s meagre goal tally at the Africa Cup of Nations to a bottle of ketchup, saying the goals might come all at once in the next match against Cameroon.

The Super Eagles face their old rival and five-time champion Cameroon in the last 16 on Saturday.

The lack of goals — one in each of the three games so far — are a concern for a Nigeria team boasting African player of the year Victor Osimhen and speedy wingers Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon.

Napoli star Osimhen, in particular, has endured a frustrating tournament by missing a host of good chances, He scored in the opening 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea, but only two of his six shots were on target. Osimhen had three shots in the 1-0 win over Ivory Coast, none of them on target, while he was unsuccessful with four efforts in the final group game, a 1-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.

“I saw some statistics that said our team until now has created more clear opportunities than the other opponents,” Peseiro said on Friday. “If you create opportunity, I cannot change our model, our game.”

The Portuguese coach said the goals will come.

“It can happen for the next match like ketchup. Sometimes the ketchup doesn’t come, but (then) all the ketchup comes at once. It’s possible, in the next match or another match, that all the goals can come with less opportunities.”

Osimhen’s 13 shots and four clear chances are the most for any Nigeria player at the tournament, but no player created more opportunities for his teammates in the group stage than Cameroon’s Georges-Kévin Nkoudou with 10.

Defense is more of a concern for Cameroon coach Rigobert Song, whose team conceded six goals in Group C and scraped into the knockout stage only with a late winner from Christopher Wooh over Gambia in their final group game.

“I want to approach this competition in relation to what happened in the last match and by correcting what did not work,” Cameroon coach Rigobert Song said. “Everything wasn’t perfect and you have to improve every day, so my players are aware. I know what needs to be done.”

Song will need to decide which goalkeeper to play after dropping Manchester United’s André Onana to the bench in favor of Onana’s cousin, Fabrice Ondoa, for the last group match. Ondoa made important saves in the 3-2 win over Gambia, while Onana produced a shaky performance in the previous match against Senegal.

“This is a country that has always had great goalkeepers,” Song said. “You remember the time of Thomas N’Kono, (Joseph-)Antoine Bell – it can be shared. They’re very good goalkeepers. I’ve no problem with the goalkeeper today, all my goalkeepers are competitive. And I’ll say it again, I’m counting on 27 players and all 27 are present and ready to respond to what we need. I don’t think there’s any controversy in picking one of these goalkeepers. They get along very well and I think everyone has a chance.”

Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions, will be playing in the same stadium where they won the first of their five Africa Cup titles by beating Nigeria 3-1 in the 1984 final. The rivals went on to play again in the deciders in 1988 and 2000, with Cameroon winning both times.

Angola plays Namibia in the first round-of-16 match earlier Saturday in Bouaké.

-AP

AFCON

Hurray, Super Eagles back to winning ways!

Published

7 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Kunle Solaja

What a turn-around! After four previous competitive matches without a win, the Super Eagles have regained their winning mentality after a 3-0 defeat of Benin Republic in their opening 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.

The win also put the Super Eagles at the top of the Group D after both Libya and Rwanda played 1-1 draw last Thursday.

It is also the biggest win by the Super Eagles since their 2023 6-0 win over Sao Tome & Principe last year September.

Great man Ademola Lookman, he put in two goals straightening the possibility of his emerging as 2024 African Footballer of the Year.

The current title holder, Victor Osimhen proved his mettle coming off the bench in the second half to double Nigeria’s lead after Lookman’s late first half goal.

The Super Eagles will now honour their next fixture against Rwanda on Tuesday with the hope of consolidating their lead.

Benin Republic with no points and a deficit of three goals are rooted at the bottom of the log.

AFCON

‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful!’, Rev Ikpea calls on football fans to rally round Super Eagles

Published

14 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Kunle Solaja

BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU

The National Chairman of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC), Rev. Samuel Ikpea has called on all Nigerians to rally round and pray for the Super Eagles ahead of Saturday’s Morocco 2025 AFCON qualifier against Benin Republic in Uyo.

Ikpea who is mobilizing support for the Super Eagles ahead of the clash in Uyo said that whatever Benin Republic come with both spiritually and physically in the game, we will surely overcome them.

“In the NFSC we have Christians, Muslims as well as those who believe in traditional worship and we respect the rights of freedom of worship of every member and all Nigerians.

“When we are faced with this kind of crucial game, we call on everyone to pray through their various believes because we foresee that Benin Republic are most likely coming to fall back on ‘black magic’ to enable them perfect a back-to-back victory over our Super Eagles after beating us 2-1 in our last meeting in a World Cup qualifier”

“We cannot underestimate the efficacy of the black magic” Ikpea further stressed, “but we believe that when we come together we can neutralize it’s efficacy.

“This is no time to sleep, we all have to rally round and do our best to support our Super Eagles because they cannot do it alone without the prayers and support of all Nigerians.

“While charging Nigerians to be positive with the team, we at the NFSC have done everything positive to overturn whatever plans they are coming with and we enjoin everyone to toe that path through prayers”.

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles camp is bubbling with training in Uyo, as team Coach Austin Eguavoen, has been working hard to perfect tactics with the boys and ensure the Super Eagles soar on Saturday.

AFCON

Will Super Eagles regain their winning mentality?

Published

16 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Kunle Solaja

The Super Eagles have not won a qualifying match for any competition since their 6-0 defeat of Principe & Sao Tome on 10^th September 2023 in Uyo. That was their last qualifying match for Cote d’Ivoire 2023 played in 2024.

Since then, they have played four World Cup qualifying matches without a win despite being the overwhelming favourites at those matches.

A forensic analysis of their World Cup qualifying since that of Qatar 2022 will reveal they had played seven consecutive matches without a win starting from their 1-1 home draw with Cape Verde in Lagos which qualified them for the play off. In the play off with Ghana, the Super Eagles drew the two matches.

In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, they have gone four matches, getting three draws and a loss. The prospect of their getting a straight qualification from the group is doubtful as they have a mountain to climb by winning the remaining six matches, three of which are away duels of which are most likely to be played in South Africa, the home ground of their main rivals.

Zimbabwe and Lesotho play their home matches in South Africa and Nigeria also still have an away duel with Bafana Bafana.

The qualification series of AFCON 2025 presents the Super Eagles a new beginning. Starting from the semi-finals of the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, the team has won none of their four competitive matches in regulation time. The players have a date with destiny in Uyo this Saturday to wipe off the sagging image they have had in recent time.

A win will give the team the confidence expected in anticipation for future fixtures.