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Tunisia Upset Nigeria to Book AFCON 2021 Quarter-final Spot
Tunisia upset 10-man Nigeria to set up a quarter-final tie against Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Youssef Msakni beat Super Eagles keeper Maduka Okoye with a long-range effort two minutes into the second half.
The Super Eagles, who had won all three of their group stage matches, were considered clear favourites against a Cartage Eagles side which had lost two of their first round games and only sneaked through to the knockout phase as one of the top-ranked third-place finishers.
Yet the North Africans – also hit by a raft of Covid-19 absences – put up a disciplined and determined showing, claiming the victory on the back of a long-range hit from Youssef Msakni early in the second half.
Nigeria also ended the game with 10 men after Alex Iwobi was red carded midway through the second half.
The first clear chance of the match went the way of Tunisia in the 10th minute, with fine work down the right flank from Hamza Rafia setting up Msakni, but he saw his goal-bound effort blocked by Kenneth Omeruo.
Nigeria then enjoyed a spell of dominance in which Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon and Kelechi Iheanacho were prominent figures. However, Tunisia goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said remained untested, with his defence doing well to ensure the Super Eagles attackers had little time or space to weave their magic in dangerous areas.
The Cartage Eagles, meanwhile, struggled to bring Msakni and Seifeddine Jaziri into play at the other end, but on the whole they would have been happy with their work in the first half, frustrating Nigeria and ensuring the game was locked at 0-0 at the interval.
And the North Africans struck the first key blow just two minutes after the restart, with Msakni not closed down by the defence and allowed to fire off a swerving shot from long range which skidded off the turf and burst past the left hand of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye for 1-0.
Nigeria responded on the hour mark with a pair of substitutions, sending on Alex Iwobi and Peter Olayinka, but it was starter Wilfred Ndidi who looked to come up with an equaliser soon thereafter, firing a long range shot just over the target.
However, the Super Eagles’ hopes of a comeback were soon dealt a major blow when Iwobi was sent off in the 64th minute for a studs-up challenge on Msakni. Referee Maguette N’Diaye of Senegal initially only cautioned the substitute, but upon reviewing the incident at VAR’s request, he rescinded the yellow card and instead brandished a straight red.
Ironically, after going down to 10 men, Nigeria’s attack began to look more dangerous, with Simon and Chukwueze both sending shots just off target in the minutes after Iwobi’s dismissal.
Yet the 10-man team inevitably began to be stretched at the back and Okoye was called on to make an excellent save from Tunisian substitute Naim Sliti with 15 minutes of regulation time left to play.
Tunisia were able to see out the remainder of the match in relative comfort, with Nigeria’s only chance a shot from a tight angle by substitute Umar Sadiq which rolled narrowly wide of the mark in the first minute of injury time.
Tunisia will go on to face Burkina Faso in a quarterfinal in Garoua on Saturday 29 January.
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Nigeria’s table tennis pacesetter, Aruna Quadri, on winning the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Cup title.
Quadri achieved a resounding victory in the final match of the 2024 ITTF Africa Cup in Rwanda, reclaiming his title and sealing his place as Africa’s table tennis champion.
The President commended the table tennis star for his dogged pursuit of excellence even in the face of gnawing obstacles, declaring that the zeal for distinction, the hardiness to succeed, and the inventiveness to solve complex problems are the exceptional qualities that define Nigerians.
The President also noted the recent progress in the nation’s sports sector, with remarkable performances in the African Games, the Africa Cup of Nations, and the World Relay Championships, and emphasized that his administration will continue to foster the growth and development of sports in the country.
The Board of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Finidi George as Head Coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, the Super Eagles.
A statement by Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, on Monday said the NFF approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint George.
Reports says that the ace winger spent 20 months as assistant to José Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post after guiding the team to silver medal at AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
George took charge of the squad in acting capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.
His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.
He was a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia.
The team also emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year.
George won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward made a scoring debut for fatherland in an AFCON qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos, on July 27, 1991.
He also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe.
He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA, on 19th June 1994.
George had actually scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October, 1993.
The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.
George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.
The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.(NAN)
Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe has said that helping his hometown club to finally win their first Champions League title is a matter of pride for him.
This was after he scored twice to help guide his side to a 4-1 comeback win at FC Barcelona and into the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate victory on Tuesday.
Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG in the summer with Real Madrid as the biggest favourite to sign him, told reporters that his future is not in his mind and that his focus is totally on bringing glory to the French capital.
“I have the dream of winning the Champions League for Paris,” Mbappe told reporters at Barcelona Olympic stadium on Tuesday.
“I’m proud to be at PSG since the first day.
It’s not because there are good times and bad times that my pride takes a hit.“The pride of playing for this club, of representing the club of the capital of my country, it’s something special for me who grew up there.
“To experience an evening like this one as a Parisian, it’s great. We have one more step to go before we reach the final in Wembley, so we need to stay calm.”
After loosing 3-2 in the first leg in Paris, PSG fought-back down 1-0 at FC Barcelona after the locals went down to 10 men just before the half-hour.
This was when last man Ronald Araujo was red-carded for fouling Bradley Barcola.
Former FC Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors just before the break while Vitinha and Mbappe finished the job in the second half.
The result meant PSG would face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals after the Germans beat Atletico Madrid also on Tuesday.
PSG achieved success having failed to get past the round of 16 in the last two seasons and being pinned against the ropes by a FC Barcelona side who were in the ascendancy.
The Parisian put on a gritty performance to make the most of the home side’s mistakes and turn the tie around.
“We beat a great team this evening, but even if we had lost, I would be proud to be Parisian. Now it’s certain that during evenings like this, the pride is even greater,” Mbappe said.
“We are very happy, we beat a team that we wanted to beat and to be closer to the final.
“This one is for the fans that came here to support us and those back home. It’s a night to be proud.”(Reuters/NAN)
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