International Football
TAKE AWAYS IN THE NIGERIA-ZAMBIA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Both Nigeria and Zambia meet on Saturday in Uyo in what is easily the most important match for the two teams in the race to the Russia 2018 World Cup. Both need a win to remain in contention. A win for Nigeria guarantees outright qualification. A win by Zambia stretches the struggle to the last match day in November. The two teams are therefore under pressure more than they have been in the previous four match days.
Sports Village Square takes an insightful look at the make or mar encounter and comes out with the following points of interest.
- Saturday’s match will be Nigeria’s 103rd World Cup qualifying match.
- The game will be Zambia’s 97th World Cup qualifying match.
- Nigeria has had an unbeaten run of 33 matches in the World Cup qualifying series. This is 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.
- Both Nigeria and Zambia are English speaking and are former Africa Cup of Nations holders. Nigeria won thrice in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Zambia won once, in 2012.
Both teams played the final match of 1994 Africa Cup of Nations which Nigeria won by 2-1. When Elijah Litana scored for Zambia in the third minute, it was the first time Nigeria trailed in the entire tournament. Emmanuel Amuneke equalized for Nigeria two minutes later before scoring the winner two minutes into the second half in what was his only match of the tournament.
Nigeria and Zambia contested the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final match. Emmanuel Amuneke waltz past Zambia’s Harrison Chongo. Amuneke’s two goals earned Nigeria a 2-1 victory.
- Zambia became the first team to inflict a humiliating defeat on Nigeria after the 7-0 loss to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955. On July 15, 1973, barely six months after Nigeria won the gold medal of the football event of the All Africa Games, Zambia came from a goal down to beat Nigeria 5-1 in Lusaka in a 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. It was the first ever encounter of both teams.
- Yakubu Mambo was not just the first scorer at the National Stadium, Lagos he was the first Nigerian player to score against Zambia. A feat he performed barely five minutes into the 1973 encounter which Nigeria eventually lost 1-5.
Record man, Yakubu Mambo became the first scorer against Zambia on July 15, 1973 in Lusaka
- Nigeria’s late midfield maestro, Muda Lawal was for a long time Nigeria’s most capped player. He had 86 caps. His last international outing was against Zambia in Lusaka on August 18, 1985.
Muda Lawal played his last international match against Zambia on August 18, 1985.
- Joseph Yobo equalled Muda Lawal’s 86 international appearances playing against Zambia on November 14, 2011 in a friendly match in Kaduna. Nigeria won the match 2-0.
- The late Stephen Keshi led Nigeria to 52 matches as a coach to both the frontline Super Eagles and the CHAN squad. In those matches he won 25 matches. Sports Village Square recalls that his first victory as a coach for Nigeria was the 2-0 defeat of Africa Cup of Nations-bound Zambia in Kaduna on November 14, 2011.
- Former Nigeria’s skipper. Joseph Yobo became the first Nigerian player to clock 100 international appearances. Sports Village Square recalls that his first international cap was against Zambia in Ndola on March 24, 2001. Nigeria drew the game 1-1.
- Joseph Yobo debuted for Nigeria in a match against Zambia in 2001. He also equalled Muda Lawal’s appearance record in another match with Zambia.
- When Nigeria met Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first ever World Cup qualifying match pitching both teams.
- It was against Zambia that the Super Eagles played their last competitive match at the National Stadium, Lagos. That was the January 13, 2001 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in which Austin Okocha lost a penalty kick in the eventual 1-0 win.
- Alex Iwobi was a scoring debutant for Nigeria in the last match with Zambia in Ndola.
- Zambia eliminated Nigeria from the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya after a 3-0 defeat in which Nigeria needed a draw to advance,
- Nigeria eliminated Zambia in the semi finals of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria and also at the quarter final stage of the 2010 edition in Angola.
- Zambia eliminated Nigeria from qualifying for the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Nigeria retaliated by preventing Zambia from getting to the 2002 edition in Mali.
- When Nigeria beat Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first time Nigeria beat Zambia at home.
- Zambia have never beaten Nigeria at home.
- Nigeria used Zambia as stepping stones to win Africa Cup of Nations twice in 1994 and 2013.
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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