BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

When the Nigeria Super Eagles-B team meets Ghana’s Black Galaxies on Sunday in the first leg of the final qualifying duel for the 2025 African Nations Championship, it will be the sixth-time head-to-head confrontation of both sides.

In all the previous encounters, the Ghanaian side came out smiling.  There is therefore an apparent jinx for the Nigerian side.

The African Nations Championship (CHAN) is for selected nationals of the domestic leagues of various countries and thus also provides relative strength to each national league.

Nigeria qualified only thrice in the preceding seven editions. The Ghana Black Galaxies have been the most dreaded opposition for the Nigerian sides.

They had met in the 2009 and the 2022 series. The aggregate results were in Ghana’s favour.

First, in the 2009 qualifiers, Nigeria squandered a 2-0 first-half lead in Accra and lost 3-2. But going into the return leg played in Calabar, they could not score a goal that could have seen them through on the away goal rule as they ended the match 0-0.

In the last edition, Nigeria for the 2023 edition, Nigeria lost 2-0 in Accra but levelled up in Abuja after a late 2-0 win. But in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Nigerian team lost 5-4.

Will they overcome Ghana this time? Ghana’s dominance over Nigeria in CHAN is not limited to the qualifying series. Both teams met in the finals of the 2014 edition in South Africa.

The semi-final duel ended goalless after extra time. But Ghana prevailed 4-1 in the eventual penalty shootout.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The Nigerian Super Eagles B, comprising of home-based players will leave their Ikenne camp for Accra, Ghana on Friday for Sunday’s first-leg qualifying match for the African Nations Championship.

The team is confident of achieving a positive result from the encounter ahead of the return leg in Uyo next week. One of the players, Rabiu Ali, skipper of Kano Pillers is optimistic of the Nigerian team qualifying ahead of regional rivals, Ghana Black Galaxies.

If fielded, Rabiu Ali will possibly be the oldest player to compete in African Nations Cup qualifiers.

He clocked 44 last September and he is not just the oldest player in the Nigeria Premier Football League, he is the longest-serving player having been on the scene for 21 years since the 2003 season.

He is not just the captain of Kano Pillars, Rabiu Ali is regarded as the club’s greatest-ever player.

Though he has been with Kano Pillars since 2009, he was previously with Nasarawa United.

The match with Ghana will not be his first African Nations Championship duel, he was in Stephen Keshi’s squad that placed third in South Africa in 2014.

He scored a brace in a Group A match in Nigeria’s 4-2 demolition of Mozambique a the 2014 edition. He was also remarkable in Nigeria’s comeback defeat of Morocco at the 2014 edition.

At the time, the Atlas Lions of Morocco stunned Nigeria in the 36th, 39th and 41st minutes of a match making the Super Eagles B 3-0 down at halftime.

Nigeria rallied back in the second half to stalemate scores at 3-3 and eventually won 4-3 after extra time. Rabiu Ali scored one of the second-half goals.

Speaking with Sports Village Square in Ikenne on Thursday, the mercurial striker remarked that his age will not inhibit him from hitting the right form when Nigeria takes on Ghana on Sunday.

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 Stand-in Head Coach Daniel Ogunmodede has picked ageless warhorse Rabiu Ali, wing-back Sadiq Ishmael, centre-back Stephen Manyo, midfielders Musa Zayyad and Jide Fatokun, and forwards Anas Yusuf and Sikiru Alimi in an 18-man roster for Sunday’s 8^th African Nations Championship qualifying match against Ghana’s Black Galaxies in Accra.

 The gaffer also picked goalkeeper Henry Ozoemena, defender Victor Collins and forward Abubakar Adamu for the must-win two-leg fixture, with the Galaxies being the reason why Nigeria failed to qualify for the championship on two different occasions in the past, namely 2009 and 2023.

The Super Eagles B, with Ogunmodede and Coaches Fidelis Ilechukwu and Olatunji Baruwa in charge, had staggered training sessions over three weeks from the month of October, before a final training camp commenced at the Remo Stars Sports Institute, Ikenne-Remo three weeks ago.

Sunday’s first leg fixture is scheduled for the Accra Sports Stadium, with kick-off set for 4pm Ghana time (5pm in Nigeria), and some kilometres away, both countries’ U17 girls will be battling for the inaugural WAFU B U17 Cup at the Ghana Centre of Excellence in Prampram.

Over the past 10 months, Nigeria have dominated Ghana at international level, starting with the Super Eagles’ 2-1 defeat of the Black Stars in a friendly match in Marrakech, Morocco – a first win at senior level for Nigeria against the West African rivals in 18 years.

In the summer, Nigeria’s U17 boys edged the Black Satellites 3-2 in the third-place match of the WAFU B U17 Championship staged by Ghana, and in October, the Flying Eagles defeated the Black Satellites 3-1 to successfully retain their WAFU B U20 Championship title in Lome, Togo.

Togolese referee Aklesso Gnama will be in charge of Sunday’s encounter at the Accra Sports Stadium, with compatriots Jonathan Ahonto Koffi, Wassiou Tchamolla Ourotou and Kossi Fabrice Senyo in the roles of assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively.

Liberian Ivan Gartor Brown will serve as commissioner while Hugues Alain Adjovi from Benin Republic will be the referee assessor.

The second leg will hold at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 28^th December, with the winner on aggregate to pick a ticket to the 8^th African Nations Championship taking place in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, 1^st – 28^th February, 2025.

18 SUPER EAGLES B FOR WAR AGAINST GHANA’S BLACK GALAXIES

Goalkeepers: Henry Ozoemena (Enyimba FC); Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars)

Defenders: Ismail Sadiq (Remo Stars); Waliu Ojetoye (Ikorodu City); Imo Obot (Enyimba FC); Junior Nduka (Remo Stars); Victor Collins (Nasarawa United); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Rangers International); Steven Manyo (Rivers United)

Midfielders: Jide Fatokun (Remo Stars); Rabiu Ali (Kano Pillars); Saviour Isaac (Enugu Rangers); Musa Zayyad (El-Kanemi Warriors)

Forwards: Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United); Adamu Abubakar (Plateau United) Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars); Emmanuel Ogbole (Kwara United); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)