By Joseph Laleye
After an impressive performance against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, that gave Nigerians hope that the Super Eagles can go far in this AFCON tournament, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be back in action today against the Black Antelopes of Angola for a place in the semi-final.
Though the Super Eagles performance in the group stage has been discouraging to Nigerians as a people, which has left a lot to be desired, even with 7 point and two clean sheets, the Super Eagles lifted their game against Cameroon in what was a commanding performance that ignited hopes that the team could go ahead and claim their fourth AFCON trophy in Cote D’Ivoire.
Angola, on the other hand, have been in stellar form in the ongoing competition, finishing first in their group and putting Namibia to the sword in the Round of 16 with three unreplied goals.
The match promises to be an interesting one, and also a ‘grudge’ match given the peculiar head-to-head records and also the determination both teams have in winning the AFCON title.
Head 2 Head between Angola vs Nigeria:
Nigeria wins: 3
Draws: 5
Angola wins: 2
Team News
Angola’s first-choice goalkeeper, Adilson Neblú was given a straight red card in the 16th minute of the game against Namibia.
So António Signori who replaced him in the game will most likely start against Nigeria.
Midfielder Beni Mukendi left the Angola’s camp to return to his Portuguese club, Casa Pia, after having limited playing time in this tournament.
Meanwhile Nigeria, Stanley Nwabali suffered an injury in the second half of the match against Cameroon and is a doubt for the Angola game.
If he fails a late fitness test, the Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro have no choice but to rely on Francis Uzoho to replace the Chippa United goalkeeper, even though Nigerians are not happy and convinced about Francis Uzoho reliability at the stick.Late intel shared by a colleague confirms Nwabali trained with the team in readiness for the Angola onslaught, there is still no certainty he will make the brace as first choice keeper today.
Captain William Troost-Ekong is also a potentials doubt, otherwise the team is in good shape and good health.
Kick-off time and venue: Nigeria vs Angola is scheduled for 6pm Nigeria time, today February 2, 2024.
The match will take place at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.
Players to watch
Nigeria – Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman who ply their trade in the Italian Seria A of Napoli and Atalanta respectively have combinde well to wreck havoc on opponents with 5 goals contribution between the duo.
Angola – Gelson Dala
Gelson Dala has been one of the standout players at the 2023 AFCON. The 27-year-old striker only plays for Qatar Al Wakrah, but his four goals at the AFCON are better led by Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue, who already exited the tournament.
Dala also has an assist and will carry his country’s hopes of making the last-four stage.
Match Analysis:
Nigeria have won their last three games without conceding, with two of them ending 1-0.
While Angola has never reached the semi-final of the nation cup.
Angola is looking to reach the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history but could find it tough against a solid Nigeria outfit that rarely chip in goals.
The Angolan team are already boasting and they believe they can knock out the Super Eagles after they stopped the team from qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany with an head to head record, so they believe they can do it again.
In fact, the Angolan team has been promised Iphone 15 and other cash incentives in their Homeland to stir them up and motivate the team to beat the Super Eagles. The Angolan coach has also identified two major threat in the Nigeria team – Victor Osimhen and Lookman Haruna – which he will be working on nullifying them to get a victory.
But the Nigerian team know what is at stake and also the magnitude of the match based on the pains the Angolan team inflicted on Nigeria with for not qualifying for a world cup in Germany 2006. The Sam Okwaraji incident, though a natural occurrence, is still the memory.
It’s going to be a tough and physical match.
This Nigeria team is not so full of attacking instinct but their defence is tight and have only chip in a few goals so far, so the Angolan team won’t find it rosy like they did against Namibian.
To win the game Nigeria needs to play a full wing-based 4-4-2 play formation with the two mid-fielders serving as utility players by supporting the two attackers upfront; and the other two mid-field players supporting the defence when the back becomes tense. Most importantly, the midfield should be tight and the rampaging Angolan strikers put at bay right at the middle and not given any space to penetrate the midfield gridlock.
Today’s game will be tension soaked even before the whistle blows. It will square to all the trappings of a final match with pride and conquer on the deck. However, after the near war of attrition in the field Super Eagles will ones again demonstrate their super character when pride of nation is put to the test.
Prediction: Nigeria 2. Angola Nil.
Joseph Laleye, a graduate of Public Administration, Artist, and football enthusiast is the Editor BrandiQSports
