Africa Cup of Nations: Nigeria, Egypt set for Bronze battle today

•Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen and Mohammed Sallah of Egypt

Neither Nigeria’s Super Eagles nor the Pharaohs of Egypt will approach today’s bronze-medal match of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations with a carefree attitude or in a state of absent-mindedness.

Both continental powerhouses, with 10 AFCON titles between them, arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco late last year with the determination to win another AFCON title, reports Saturday Independent. However, their campaigns stuttered at the semi-final stage, with the Pharaohs upended by the Lions of Teranga in Tangier, and the Super Eagles pipped in a penalty shootout in Rabat.

While Egypt legend Mohamed Salah and Nigeria’s star-boy Victor Osimhen continue to rue the absence of the AFCON gold medal in their collection, Saturday’s confrontation provides the opportunity for a consolation prize in African football’s flagship championship.

With a total of 14 goals in their six matches and unbeaten in regulation time, the Super Eagles will feel hard-done-by not reaching the Final.

However, words of encouragement from here and there, far and near, have enabled them to quickly pick up their morale from the floor. The team trained on arrival in Casablanca on Thursday evening, and is scheduled for the official training at the Raja Oasis (training ground of top African club Raja Casablanca) yesterday evening.

Incidentally, Egypt and Nigeria have the highest tally of AFCON bronze medals, with the Super Eagles having won eight times and Egypt six times. Victory for Nigeria will put daylight between the two teams on this score, while victory for Egypt will further narrow the gap between the two teams.

Remarkably, Nigeria, which has never lost an AFCON bronze-medal match, won its first bronze in 1976 at the expense of Egypt. A brace by Haruna Ilerika and an excellent strike by Mudashiru Lawal (both of blessed memory) handed Nigeria a 3-2 win in Addis Ababa.

Nigeria’s last AFCON bronze-medal accomplishment was realised in Egypt, when Odion Ighalo’s 2nd-minute strike was enough to pip Tunisia in Cairo.

Nigeria also won the bronze medal in 1978 (declared winner following abandonment of the bronze-medal match by Tunisia), in 1992 (after 2-1 defeat of Cameroon in Dakar), in 2002 (after 1-0 defeat of hosts Mali in Mopti), in 2004 (after 2-1 defeat of Mali in Monastir), in 2006 (after a lone-goal defeat of Senegal Cairo) and in 2010 (after a lone-goal defeat of Algeria in Benguela).

Today’s encounter will be the 25th clash between the two countries at the senior level.

For context, it will be their 10th confrontation at the Africa Cup of Nations, with Nigeria having won five of the previous nine, with two matches drawn (scoreless draws in Rabat in 1988 and in Tunis six years later).

Perhaps their most memorable encounter at the AFCON was the semi-final battle in Abidjan in 1984, when the Eagles came from two goals down to tie the game (thanks to a penalty by Stephen Keshi just before half-time and a sublime header by Bala Ali in the second half). Nigeria went on to win the game 8-7 after a penalty shootout.

Their most recent clash at the AFCON was in a group phase match in the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua in January 2022, when Kelechi Iheanacho’s first-half goal separated both teams.

The venue is the elegant Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, with kick-off set for 5 pm.

SUPER EAGLES, PHARAOHS IN HISTORY

13 Dec 1959: Nigeria 2-6 Egypt (Olympic Games: Lagos)

01 Jan 1960: Egypt 3-0 Nigeria (Olympic Games: Cairo)

29 Nov 1960: Nigeria 1-2 Egypt (Friendly: Lagos)

24 Nov 1963: Egypt 6-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Kumasi)

14 Jan 1973: Nigeria 4-2 Egypt (All-Africa Games: Lagos)

14 Mar 1976: Egypt 2-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Addis Ababa)

08 Oct 1977: Nigeria 4-0 Egypt (FIFA World Cup: Lagos)

21 Oct 1977: Egypt 3-1 Nigeria (FIFA World Cup: Cairo)

15 Mar 1980: Nigeria 1-0 Egypt (AFCON: Lagos)

18 Feb 1983: Nigeria 0-0 Egypt (Friendly: Lagos)