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Super Eagles star, Ola Aina, has revealed how Jose Peseiro’s side will approach their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, final Group A tie against Guinea-Bissau on Monday.
The Super Eagles won 1-0 against Ivory Coast in their last AFCON tie on Thursday.
The outcome of the Ivory Coast game moved Nigeria to second place in Group A with four points, having drawn 1-1 against Equatorial Guinea in their first game.
Speaking to reporters after Nigeria’s victory against the host nation, Aina said, “I’m just happy the team got the win. It was a tough game, I am still feeling a little bit tired but everything is worth it when you win.”
The former Chelsea star added: “We are going there [against Guinea-Bissau] with the same mentality that we had [against Ivory Coast].
“We need to get the job done and hopefully we can get another big result there.”
Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa has assured Nigerian fans that the team will do their very best to make it to the final of the 2023 African Cup Of Nations(AFCON) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Musa made this known while speaking with newsmen at the team’s hotel after their victory against the host, Ivory Coast, on Thursday evening.
He also thanked the fans and supporters for their enormous support with prayers both in Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Abroad.
Despite being the most capped Super Eagles player to date with 109 appearances, Musa was an unused substitute in the first two matches against Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast and is yet to make his debut in the ongoing 2023 AFCON.
Speaking on their victory, he said, “Thank you very much! Like I said earlier, we don’t have much to say. We are going to do the talking on the pitch, as you can see yesterday we did one of the talking on the pitch insha’Allah, and we’ll continue doing that till the final on February 11 so that we go back to Nigeria very happy.
“We’ll keep on doing our best to make Nigeria proud and once again, we are sending all our support to Nigeria, the way they supported us for their prayers.”
He, however, said he will be hoping to make his first appearance of the tournament when the Super Eagles play their final match of Group A at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium against a Guinea-Bissau side who has recorded two lost against Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.
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Football star, Cristiano Ronaldo has opened up about his likely retirement from football when asked about his future plans.
The Al-Nassr forward was asked about when he planned to hang up his boots in Dubai, where he is attending the Globe Soccer Awards and the 38-year-old delivered a funny response.
Ronaldo initially claimed he will retire ‘soon’ before he suggested he can remain at the top of the game for a while yet.
'The moment I finish, I don't know to be honest,' Ronaldo said.
'Of course, it will be soon, soon I mean 10 years more.
'No I am joking, I don't know, let's see.'
Ronaldo, who turns 39 next month, currently plays for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
The Portugal star joined the club in a deal worth a reported £175million-a-year last January, following the cancellation of his contract at Man United.
He is the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season with 20 goals, three ahead of nearest rival Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Tanzanian Football Federation has sacked the country’s head coach, Adel Amrouche just after a game in the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
Coach Adel Amrouche was in charge of the Tanzania national team when they took on Morocco in the opening Group F game at the tournament on January 17.
In the 70th minute of the game, Novatus Miroshi was shown a red card making it impossible for Tanzania to stage a comeback from a goal down.
After the exit of Miroshi, Morocco found it easier to score two more goals as they defeated Tanzania 3-0 to top Group F with three points, two points above second-placed DR Congo and third-placed Zambia.
While reacting to the outcome of the game, Coach Adel Amrouche accused Morocco of dictating for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and selecting their match officials.
“Morocco determines everything in African football, they also choose their referees. We remain spectators because they determine everything,” he said
This statement didn’t go down well with CAF as they decided to suspend Adel Amrouche for eight matches and fined him $10,000.
Due to the lengthy suspension of the Algerian tactician, Tanzania FA decided to sack him and replace him with his assistant coach, Hemed Morocco for their next group stage game which is against Zambia at 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 21.
“In another step, the Executive Committee of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has suspended Coach Adel Amrouche”, a statement from Tanzania FA read.
“As a result of that decision, Hemed Morocco has been appointed as Acting Coach, and he will be assisted by Juma Mgunda.”
[NaijaNews]
Cape Verde became the first country to qualify for the knockout stages of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The tiny island nation crushed Mozambique 3-0 on Friday evening to book their spot.
The result all but confirms them as Group B winners, a group that has traditional powerhouses like Egypt and Ghana.
Cape Verde defeated the Black Stars 2-1 in their opening fixture at the tournament – a clear warning sign that was not heeded.
“I see a lot of people are surprised. But Cape Verde has been doing this. I think it was three tournaments ago when they smashed Cameroon and got to the quarter-finals, where they lost to bad officiating if I remember well.
“They have not been able to go far in AFCON tournaments. But maybe they could do it this time.
“Look at the game against Ghana, the way they dominated the game and their tactical awareness. It was a flawless performance,” Wale Agbede, the Head of Sports at Plus TV tells DAILY POST.
In their final group game, Cape Verde will face an Egyptian side without talisman Mohammed Salah, who picked up a hamstring problem in their 2-2 draw with Ghana on Thursday night.
Already, most football fans and pundits have dubbed the 2023 AFCON as the ‘tournament of the underdogs’.
Agbede disagrees.
“I think that it is hard to call it a tournament of the underdogs. We have seen a couple of tournaments that produced similar results from underdogs.
“African football is one that is very peculiar. There are countries that though they don’t have high-profile players in top leagues in Europe, it could be an advantage.
“Because they get to play in the same league. Like Cape Verde for instance. Small country, small population. There is a lot of synergy. They play the same style and their ideology is the same. A lot of the time, this tends to bear fortune sometimes, not all the time.
“I’m not surprised. Some of the big guns that we expected to win have won.
“First games in competitions can be very tricky. We have seen it in Europe and the World Cup with teams that have slow starts.
“Some of the big players come from different leagues around the world. For instance, some come instantly from winter in the UK with the Premier League and come directly to play in West Africa, where there is temperature difference.
“What it means is that there has to be acclimatization. There will also be a change in style because they are playing under a different manager and set up.
“The hypotheticals surrounding first matches in football tournaments are enormous.
“Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe if two or three of the underdogs make a deep run in the tournament, then we can have this conversation.
“But will I call this a tournament of the underdogs at this point? I wouldn’t. Anybody who does is jumping the gun in my opinion,” Agbede said.
However, Agbede holds a personal theory that cup competitions don’t always favour the best team.
He adds: “It doesn’t mean the best team can’t win. But it doesn’t always mean the best team won.
“I think as some of the big boys get into the groove and spend more days together, when it gets to the business end of the competition, an extra layer of talent and experience begin to come to the fore. And it is no longer about 22 players kicking the ball around. Some of these x-factor players for the big teams could show their quality and be the difference.
“Can a less fancied country win the competition? Of course, they can. But is it going to happen? Right now, I don’t think so.”
[DailyPost]
Stanley Nwabali is cementing his place as the Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper following commanding performances for Nigeria at the ongoing African Cup of Nations, and the Chippa United of South Africa goalkeeper told our correspondent that his journey to the pinnacle of his career wouldn’t have been possible if his coach at Go Round Football Club, Port Harcourt, had not converted him from an outfield player to a goalkeeper.
The River State-born goalkeeper revealed that, as a young boy growing up on the streets of Port Harcourt, he preferred a glamorous role as an out-field player, and on the strength of that, he joined Go Round FC as a defender. He was later moved upfield as a striker until a coach tried him at the goalpost.
Historically, the Super Eagles have been a dominant force in African football, but the recent unreliable performances of the goalkeepers have put a question mark on the team’s ability to compete at the highest levels.
Goalkeeping errors have become increasingly common, causing concerns that Nigeria’s aspirations in the prestigious tournament could be jeopardized by the potential consequences of these mishaps. Nigeria’s footballing history has seen some exceptional goalkeepers who have become legends in their own right.
From Sam Henshaw Ibiam, also known as “The Black Magnet,” who was the goalkeeper for the historic “1949 UK Tourists” national team, to Inua Lawal Rigogo, Peter Fregene, Joe Erico, Emmanuel Okala, Best Ogedegbe, Peter Rufai, Wilfred Agbonavbare, Ike Shorunmu, Alloy Agu, and Vincent Enyeama, all of these custodians have left an indelible mark on Nigerian football folklore.
The moniker “The Flying Cat” given to Rigogo by former Ghanaian President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah exemplifies the awe-inspiring acrobatics and flawless goalkeeping that left opponents stunned in the 1960s and early ’70s. The ’80s witnessed a resurgence in Nigerian goalkeeping prowess, with talents like Emmanuel Okala and Best Ogedegbe achieving success both domestically and internationally.
The torch passed to Peter Rufai, celebrated for his role in Nigeria’s 1994 AFCON victory, and Enyeama, who brought stability and confidence to the defence during his tenure, continuing the tradition of excellence. However, the departure of Enyeama in 2015 marked a turning point, initiating a goalkeeping crisis for Nigeria.
The fleeting hope sparked by Carl Ikeme was cruelly extinguished when he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2017, robbing him of the chance to participate in the 2018 World Cup. Subsequent attempts to address the issue have been inconsistent and plagued by errors.
Blunders from goalkeepers have caused severe setbacks for Nigeria in recent tournaments, leading to genuine concerns among fans that the talented 2023 squad might see their dreams of AFCON triumph eroded by the lack of reliable goalkeeping. In the 2019 AFCON, Daniel Akpeyi’s positioning blunder proved costly, allowing a crucial goal against Algeria in the semi-finals.
The 2022 AFCON witnessed Maduka Okoye’s lapse of concentration, contributing to Nigeria’s untimely exit at the hands of a seemingly weakened Tunisian side.
The most recent blow came in the form of Francis Uzoho’s costly mistake during a pivotal World Cup qualifier against Ghana. His failure to prevent Thomas Partey’s early goal ultimately shattered Nigeria’s World Cup dreams.
Furthermore, Uzoho’s blunders in the World Cup qualifiers added another layer of anxiety ahead of the upcoming AFCON. For a country in search of a new super goalie, Nwabali appears to be a beacon of hope. Cementing his place as the Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper, his commanding performances at the AFCON underscore the importance of a reliable shot-stopper in the team.
He expresses joy in realizing his dream of wearing his country’s jersey again and emphasizes that the call-up was not solely based on individual performance but on a collective acknowledgement of the team’s overall talent.
“I feel so excited; I feel happy being among this amazing team. It’s a thing of joy to me; it’s like something l didn’t believe was going to come. This is a big dream for me, and I am happy I am living it. What this requires is for me to keep working hard.
“Honestly, I prayed to get a call-up; it was not by my performance alone because everyone is doing well in different clubs; other goalkeepers have been doing well in their clubs. If you are called up to your national team, I sincerely wanted to represent my own country. I had wished to wear my country’s jersey again, and I am happy my dream came to pass,” he said.
“Playing for Nigeria comes with responsibility, which I know very well. Our fans want us to keep our good performance all the time, and as a goalkeeper, I know that I need to be strong mentally every time to be able to keep smile on the faces of Nigerians.”
Just like many talents, Nwabali has an idol, and it is no surprise that he chose Enyeama as his role model even though their playing styles are not the same. “I watched Vincent Enyeama a lot, although I didn’t have the opportunity to watch him live at the stadium.
“I watched him play in France and our national team, and what I really loved about this man was his composure and the command of his area. “Enyeama was someone I always looked up to, despite having different styles, but I always looked up to him I think I have a similar style to Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
I have learned most things from him too, like the way he organizes his defence and how he goes up front to sweep. “I also learned from many of my coaches at the clubs that, as a goal- keeper, I cannot just remain between the sticks but should also make forays up front to help the team.”,” he said
Marseille striker, Ismaila Sarr starred as defending 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions Senegal eased their way into the last 16 with a 3-1 win over Cameroon.
Sarr’s deflected strike gave Senegal a 16th-minute lead and it was he who set up fellow frontman Habib Diallo after the break before Sadio Mane cemented victory at Stade Charles Konan Banny in stoppage time to guarantee his side’s progression from Group C.
Cameroon responded belatedly when Jean-Charles Castelletto powered home a header from Olivier Ntcham’s 83rd-minute cross and Georges-Kevin Nkoudou was guilty of a glaring miss before Mane scored, but Rigobert Song’s men will head into Tuesday’s final group fixture against Gambia with just a single point to their name.
Senegal went ahead after the Cameroon defence failed to deal with Pape Sarr’s 16th-minute corner.
The ball was fed back into Sarr after goalkeeper Andre Onana had punched it to the edge of the box and he drilled in a low right-footed shot which took a slight deflection off Frank Anguissa and flew into the net.
The Indomitable Lions did not muster a single attempt on goal in the opening 45 minutes and might have fallen further behind six minutes before the break but for Enzo Tchato’s block after Lamine Camara had put Mane in on goal.
Aliou Cisse’s men continued to make the running after the break, but Olivier Kemen got a sight of goal at the other end, only to loop his 55th-minute header from a deep free-kick high over.
Cameroon’s fortunes took a further turn for the worse with 19 minutes remaining when Sarr turned provider with a low cross for Habib Diallo to make it 2-0 from close range.
Castelletto gave Song’s side hope with seven minutes remaining and they should have been level when Nkoudou headed inexplicably wide in injury time before Mane wrapped up the points.
GUINEA-BISSAU coach Baciro Cande believes his side can still end their AFCON 2023 Africa Cup of Nations journey with victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The Djurtus are bottom of Group A after losing their first two games to hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, and have been eliminated from the tournament.
However, Cande is not giving up hope of at least taking the big scalp of the three-time African champions when they face each other on Monday.
Guinea-Bissau are not totally helpless against Nigeria, having beaten the Super Eagles in recent times, a shock 1-0 win incidentally in a qualifying match for AFCON 2023 in Abuja last March.
Cande was also the Djurtus head coach for that match and he fancies a repeat against Jose Peseiro’s Super Eagles.
“We have one game left (against Nigeria) to close the group stage and we hope to win,” Cande said after his side’s 4-2 defeat to Equatorial Guinea yesterday.
The Super Eagles are second in the group with four points, behind leaders Equatorial Guinea on goal difference, and a draw would seal a top two spot and a place in the round of 16.
Guinea-Bissau have never won an AFCON game in their history and this is the fourth edition they are attending, although Cande thought they should have done better against Equatorial Guinea.
“I feel sad. We wanted to win this match but we did not succeed,” he told reporters after the game.
“Before their first goal, we had four chances to score plus the penalty that was refused.
“We worked hard to be ready for this game. Football is sometimes like that.”
[NaijaTimes]
In their Group A clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire head coach, Jean -Louis Gasset, expressed that Nigeria’s heavily defensive approach made it challenging for his team.
The Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, chose a 3-4-3 formation to stifle the hosts’ attacking threat, limiting the Elephants to only two scoring chances in the first half. However, they were clearly outplayed after the break.
Gasset acknowledged his team’s struggle with the physicality of the Nigerians in the game, noting, “It was a very physical match; Nigeria chose to play very low with a five-man defense to exploit counterattacks with their star striker. It was a tightly contested match.”
Commenting further on the game, Gasset added, “We didn’t give the impression of being able to compete physically.”
With the focus now shifting to their final group game against the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea next Monday, the hosts are regrouping for the upcoming challenge.
Emmanuel Amuneke, 1994 African Cup of Nation winner/Atlanta 96 Olympics gold medalist has described Thursday’s Super Eagles win against the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire in the ongoing AFCON 2023 as a “massive confidence booster” for the team.
Amuneke, who himself scored two goals in the 5th and 47th minute at the final of the 1994 AFCON between Nigeria and Zambia at Stade El Menzah, Tunis made the commendation in an interview.
Nigeria had at the second match of Group A defeated the host nation, Cote D’Ivoire 1-0 at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, commonly known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé with a 55th minutes penalty taken by the stand-in captain of the team, William Troost Ekong.
Amuneke, a former Barcelona FC of Spain winger, said that achieving a victory over a host nation was no mean feat.
According to him, I congratulate all Nigerians and the Super Eagles over this important win, knowing the rivalry between both countries at the home ground of Cote D’Ivoire.
“The win is a massive win of confidence to the Super Eagles. I like the mentality of the players who are aware that they need no one to tell them that the match against Cote D’Ivoire has lots of things involved.
“This is due to the rivalry that has existed between both countries over the years. I like the approach and I think that they were able to be more compact today.
“I also like the transition of the game especially from the defence to the attack, it is impressive that our players possess such character”.
Amuneke also said that the Cote D’Ivoire were not that fantastic coming to the AFCON 2024.
“The Ivorians were a bit slow in their build-up playing Nigeria, but not taking away the credit from the Nigerian players, they played well too.
“We don’t need a wide margin to beat a country like Cote D’Ivoire, we just needed an opportunity which we took through a clear penalty given.
“I also praise the ability of the captain, Ekong, who took the responsibility and scored.
“Going forward, the Super Eagles need to take the game one after the other, the team have drawn one and won one game, so they need to do more because AFCON have produced many interesting results; I really like the level of the competition,” he added. (NAN)
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At the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Thursday, William Troost-Ekong’s penalty was the only goal of the West African giants’ Derby as the Eagles picked off the Elephants right in their background.
Ivory Coast became the first host nation to lose a group stage match in 17 matches, since Equatorial Guinea lost as joint-host in 2012.
The Super Eagles also claimed consecutive victories over the Ivoirians for the first time.
Nigeria and Osimhen continued their profligate finishing when he blazed wide from a threaded Samuel Chukwueze pass.
Nwabali was the next to be called to action and he picked up a tame shot before parrying Seko Fofana’s long-range strike away as the Ivorians ramped up the pressure.
Both sides huffed and puffed, failing to make the final pass as they went into the interval level.
Nigeria continued playing on the counter and were awarded a penalty by VAR for Diomande’s kick on Osimhen inside the box.
Captain Troost-Ekong blasted the spotkick down the middle to put Nigeria ahead on 54 minutes.
The hosts ramped up the pressure but Nwabali was on hand to take the ball off an Ivoirien’s foot before Fofana and Obite Ndicka wasted good openings.
Substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel could have added gloss to the win but went for glory while Sangare also shot wide at the other end as Jose Peseiro’s side closed out victory.
The win is Nigeria’s first in five matches while it also ended Ivory Coast’s seven-match unbeaten streak.
Nigeria moved up to second in Group A with four points, level with Equatorial Guinea but with inferior goals difference. They conclude their group stage against Guinea-Bissau on Monday.
Emilio Nsue scored the first Africa Cup of Nations hat-trick since 2008 as Equatorial Guinea beat Guinea-Bissau 4-2 on Thursday to close in on a place in the last 16.
Nsue opened the scoring midway through the first half before a sparse crowd at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium and added two more goals in the second half in a remarkable performance.
The result leaves Equatorial Guinea, who held Nigeria 1-1 in their opening game, with four points in Group A, which also contains hosts Ivory Coast.
With the four best third-placed teams advancing to the last 16, the Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder) are ideally placed to progress as they look to emulate their run to the quarter-finals two years ago.
Captain Nsue, 34, is the first player to score three times in one game at the Cup of Nations since Soufiane Alloudi did so in the first half for Morocco in a 5-1 win over Namibia at the 2008 edition in Ghana.
Born in Mallorca, Nsue began his career at Real Mallorca and played more than 100 times for them in La Liga.
He was part of the Spain team that won the Under-21 Euro in 2011 alongside the likes of David de Gea, Javi Martinez, Thiago Alcantara and Juan Mata.
But he later opted to represent the country of his father and captained the Equatorial Guinea team that reached the AFCON semi-finals as hosts in 2015.
Having later played in the English Championship with Middlesbrough and Birmingham City, Nsue now turns out for Alicante-based Intercity in the Spanish third tier, sometimes playing at right-back.
Leading the Equatorial Guinea attack here, Nsue opened the scoring in the 21st minute but Guinea-Bissau drew level in the 37th minute when Esteban Orozco turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Franculino Dju.
Guinea-Bissau, chasing a first ever AFCON win in their 11th match at the tournament, were awarded a penalty moments later as Dju went down under a Saul Coco challenge.
But with Mama Balde ready to take the kick, the Rwandan referee came across to review the images and eventually overturned his decision.
Josete Miranda restored Equatorial Guinea’s lead two minutes after the restart, the assist coming from a long kick downfield by goalkeeper Jesus Owono.
Nsue then took centre stage, converting a cross from the left flank on 51 minutes and then rounding the goalkeeper to complete his hat-trick just after the hour mark.
The goal was eventually given after initially being ruled out for offside, with Ze Turbo pulling another one back for Guinea-Bissau late on.
AFP
Ivory Coast, the host of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), takes on Nigeria in the second group stage match of Group A today, Thursday, January 18.
Ivory Coast enters this match following a convincing 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau in the tournament’s opening game.
Nigeria, on the other hand, played a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea. Victor Osimhen secured the sole goal for the Super Eagles, making him the player to keep an eye on this evening.
Ivory Coast Team news
Ivory Coast did not have Haller available last time out, with the Borussia Dortmund forward battling an ankle injury, and a late decision is likely to be made on his fitness on Thursday.
Brighton’s Simon Adingra was also absent against Guinea-Bissau but could return to the squad against Nigeria this evening after resuming training.
Should Haller miss out, then Red Star Belgrade striker Jean-Philippe Krasso can be expected to lead the line again, having scored in his country’s opener.
As for Nigeria, midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, who filled in for the absent Wilfred Ndidi, was forced off the field on a stretcher during the match against Equatorial Guinea.
He will not be available for this game, although his injury is believed to be not serious.
Porto midfielder Zaidu Sanusi has beaten Joe Aribo to replace him, while Samuel Chukwueze is also recalled after the AC Milan winger was only named on the bench in the Super Eagles’ first match.
Ivory Coast XI: Y. Fofana; Aurier, Diomande, Ndicka, Konan; Kessie, Sangare, S. Fofana; Boga, Krasso, Kouame
Nigeria XI: Nwabali; Troost-Ekong, Ajayi, Bassey; Aina, Onyeka, Iwobi, Sanusi; Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman
[TheNation]
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, appeared in court on Thursday to request a variation of his bail conditions.
He is seeking a review of certain terms in his existing bail conditions.
Emefiele is currently facing trial on six counts related to procurement fraud amounting to N1.2 billion.
He was released from Kuje Correctional Centre on December 23, 2023, 34 days after being granted bail by the judge.
Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court is presently hearing arguments on the matter, and further details will be provided shortly.
Details later…