AFCON
Afcon 2021 draw renews Egypt -Nigeria rivalry
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
If there was any team Nigeria had wished to avoid in the pre draw Pot 2, it is Egypt, the most successful team in the Africa Cup of Nations history.
Egypt have played the final matches eight times and have won seven times, losing the final match only ones, to Cameroon in 2017.
Nigeria too have impressive record at the competition, playing the final matches seven times, but winning thrice and losing four times.
Three of the final match loses were to Cameroon in 1984, 1988 and 2000. The fourth loss was to Algeria in 1990.
The Nigeria and Egypt clash in Garoua will be star match of the Group D and could be destiny shaping regarding the leadership of the group.
Sports Village Square recalls that the Egyptians are the first team to ever beat Nigeria on home soil.
That was in the qualifying match for the football event of Rome 1960 Olympics. A combined force of Egypt and Syria named as United Arab Republic beat Nigeria 6-2 at the then Lagos City Stadium, Onikan which is today’s Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
It is also the heaviest home defeat Nigeria ever suffered as well as heaviest number of goals conceded at home. The nearest to it is the four Sierra Leone scored last year in Benin City in the 4-4 draw.
Even though Godwin Odiye is famously known to have scored an own goal against Nigeria, yet he was not the first culprit.
The first own goal by Nigeria was scored for Egypt by John Onyeador in the 6-2 loss at home in 1959.
The game was barely two minutes old when an Egyptian corner kick by Hamdi Mohammed was head into Nigeria’s net by Onyeador while he was being challenged by Raffat Attia.
Traditionally, Nigeria’s home colour is green, an adoption from the national flag. But Egypt played a role in adoption of green as Nigeria’s home colour.
In the return leg match of the 6-2 home loss by Nigeria played in Cairo on 1 January 1960, Nigeria (then known as Red Devils) were obliged to wear green instead of their customary red.
It was the first time Nigeria put on green shirt for an international match and moved towards substituting the sobriquet “Red Devils” with “Green Eagles” and since 29 March 1988 “Super Eagles”.
Nigeria too have dealt heavy blows on Egyptian football. Nigeria’s first podium appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations was at the expense of Egypt in 1976.
In the third place match, Nigeria won 3-2 to win the bronze medal. Of note is the thrid goal by Nigeria, a Muda Lawal performance that could go for a television exhibition even in the present age.
It was a magnificent solo effort and back-breaking exploit in the battle for the third place position.
In the 85th minute of the game, score-line stood at 2-2 and there was intense Egyptian pressure on Nigeria for a possible winning goal.
Apparently to douse tension on his defence, Joseph Eric, the Nigerian goalkeeper, sent a long kick to Muda Lawal who was lurking half way near the left line.
Like lightening, the wing half –turned attacker tapped the ball over a challenging Egypt’s Ibrahim Youssef and raced away.
Exhibiting superb ball control, coolness and magnificent footwork, Muda set the on-rushing Egyptian goalkeeper, El-Sharet Sharaf, to the wrong way, and not losing a step, he outwitted the left half-back, Ali Hassan and finally slotted the ball beyond the desperate stretched legs of right back, Sallah Sallah who was then guarding the goal mouth.
Another great win by Nigeria over Egypt was a 1978 World Cup qualifier in Lagos. Nigeria won 4-0. It remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying duel till the last stage of Brazil 2014 qualifiers.
When Nigeria and Egypt meet on 11 January, it will be the teams’ 22nd clash. Egypt have the edge having won eight times and lost to Nigeria six times.
Nigeria won the last encounter played two years ago in Asaba when a Paul Onuachu’s record setting eight-second goal was the decider. It was Nigeria’s first defeat of Egypt in 19 years.
Nigeria – Egypt Head-to-Head
P W D L F A
Egypt 21 8 7 6 36 29
Nigeria 21 6 7 8 29 36
13 Dec. 1959 (OQ.) Nigeria 2-6 Egypt
1 Jan. 1960 (OQ.) Egypt 3-0 Nigeria
29 Nov. 1960 (F) Nigeria 1-2 Egypt
24 Nov. 1963 (ACN) Egypt 6-3 Nigeria
14 Jan. 1973 (2AAG) Nigeria 4-2 Egypt
14 Mar. 1976 (ACN) Nigeria 3-2 Egypt
8 Oct. 1977 (WCq) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
21 Oct. 1977 (WCq) Egypt 3-1 Nigeria
15 Mar. 1980 (ACN) Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
18 Feb. 1983 (F) Nigeria 0-0 Egypt
20 Feb. 1983 (F) Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
14 Mar. 1984 (ACN) Egypt 2-2 Nigeria
*(7 – 8 penalty shoot-out).
20 Mar. 1988 (ACN) Egypt 0-0 Nigeria
5 Mar. 1990 (ACN) Egypt 0-1 Nigeria
30 Mar. 1994 (ACN) Egypt 0-0 Nigeria
25 Nov. 2002 (F) Nigeria 1- 1 Egypt
12 Jan. 2010(ACN) Egypt 3-1 Nigeria
12 Apr. 2012 (F) Egypt 3-2 Nigeria
25 Mar. 2016 (Afconq) Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
29 Mar. 2016 (Afconq) Egypt 1-0 Nigeria
26 Mar. 2019 (F) Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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