By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
If the saying that “a team is as good as its last match” is anything to rely upon, then Nigerians at home and diaspora will hope that the Super Eagles will easily beat the Mambas when Nigeria and Mozambique face off today in the Round of 16 match of the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) at Fès stadium, Morocco.
Nigeria swept through the group stage with flawless three wins from three matches with the last game against Uganda ending in a 3-1 victory over the Cranes, a result that showed that the Super Eagles have enough weapons in the armoury to reach the final of the biggest football tournament in Africa in Morocco.
Nigeria was in devastating mood in the match against the Cranes last week even as Nigeria’s head coach Eric Sékou Chelle used a second string team that looked better than the first team set up by defeating Uganda 3-1 on the day.
The country will look to sustain their impressive form when they face Mozambique in the round of 16 of the AFCON in Fès today, knowing that any mistake in the knockout stage is always critical.
In fact, the Super Eagles head into this math as favourites against the Mambas because Nigeria has more pedigree in African football, especially in AFCON than Mozambique, and this should not count for nothing.
With a star-studded team, coach Chelle should not struggle to field 11 players who will comfortably defeat the Mambas in Fès as the former Mali’s handler is spoilt for choices of players to feature against Mozambique after the “reserves” he fielded in the 3-1 defeat of Uganda last week shone like million stars.
The coach will be scratching his head on who to start today in the goalpost between Francis Odinaka Uzoho and Stanley Nwabali just as he will make a hard decision on the back four after defenders Bruno Onyemaechi, Zaidu Sanusi, Igoh Ogbu and later Chidozie Awaziem held their own against Uganda.
Also, the performance of Raphael Onyedika in the midfield, who scored a brace in the last match, leaves Chelle in fix of using him today or opt for team captain Wilfred Ndidi and Alexander Iwobi in the midfield.
The title-hungry Nigeria is good upfront where the trio of Turkey-based striker Victor Osimhen; Atalanta BC, forward Ademola Lookman and England-based Samuel Chukwueze, as the Super Eagles go for a total attack against Mambas.
Nigeria, champions of Africa for the last time in 2013, will feel encouraged by their strong start to the tournament and what appears to be a favourable last-16 draw.
With confidence high in Éric Sékou Chelle’s camp, the Super Eagles will be aiming to take another decisive step towards ending their long wait for continental glory.
However, Mozambique have already shown they are capable of troubling more established sides the Super Eagles as they have a strong staying power against big teams.
Their victory over Gabon, coupled with spirited displays in defeats to hosts Ivory Coast and Cameroon, underlined their ability to compete with Africa’s traditional heavyweights.
Nigeria, champions of Africa for the last time in 2013, will feel encouraged by their strong start to the tournament and what appears to be a favourable last-16 draw. With confidence high in Éric Sékou Chelle’s camp, the Super Eagles will be aiming to take another decisive step towards ending their long wait for continental glory.
However, lingering defensive concerns remain, and Mozambique are expected to target those weaknesses through Sporting CP winger Geny Catamo.
Catamo has been one of Mozambique’s key attacking threats, converting a penalty in their 3-2 win over Gabon before scoring a fine goal in a narrow 2-1 loss to Cameroon.
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With this in mind, Chelle should know that the winner of today’s encounter will progress to the quarter-finals to face either Algeria or DR Congo.
A potential meeting with DR Congo would revive memories of the 2026 CAF World Cup qualifying playoff final, where Nigeria suffered defeat, allowing the Leopards to advance to the inter-confederation playoffs.
