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Just in: Super Eagles captain, Ndidi, two others risk suspension as they meet Algeria
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The Super Eagles maybe in heavy trouble ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarter-final clash with Algeria, with three major players likely to face suspension.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Calvin Bassey are all one booking away from suspension after picking up yellow cards during Nigeria’s emphatic Round of 16 win over Mozambique’s Mambas.
Any further caution against Algeria would rule the affected player out of the semi-final, should Nigeria progress.
The stakes are high, with either Morocco or Cameroon set to face the winner of the quarter-final in the last four.
The highly anticipated tie between Nigeria and Algeria will be played on Saturday at the Marrakech Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
While attention is firmly on the looming clash with the Desert Foxes, the Super Eagles are also drawing confidence from a commanding 4-0 win over Mozambique, a match that carried special significance for central defender Semi Ajayi.
The London-born defender reached a personal landmark during the Round of 16 encounter, celebrating his 50th appearance for the three-time African champions.
Ajayi, a former Nigeria Under-20 international, made his senior debut in September 2018 during an AFCON qualifier against Seychelles, coming on as a late substitute for Chidozie Awaziem.
At the 2025 AFCON, Ajayi has been one of Nigeria’s standout performers. He claimed the Man of the Match award in the opening game against Tanzania and marked that display with his first goal of the tournament.
After sitting out the final group game against Uganda, he returned to the starting line-up as Nigeria recorded their first clean sheet of the competition against Mozambique.
“That’s what we’ve been striving towards. As a defender, we always pride ourselves on clean sheets, so the fact that we were able to get one today was really good,” Ajayi told reporters in the mixed zone after the match.
“There are still things we need to improve on, and luckily the team is improving game by game, so we are looking forward to improving again for the next one.”
Ajayi also spoke about his partnership with fellow defender Calvin Bassey, highlighting the understanding that has developed between them.
He said, “We’ve played a lot of games together. We understand how each other works and we are always pushing each other to be better. We are looking to improve again for the next game.”
England had been on course to reach their first World Cup final since 1966 after Anthony Gordon fired them into the lead 10 minutes after half-time in the semi-final in front of 68,239 fans in Atlanta.
But the great rivalry between these nations has produced several memorable contests on the World Cup stage down the years, and this will be remembered as the stuff of legends in Argentina as the South Americans denied England with two late sucker punches.
Messi set up Enzo Fernandez to fire in an 85th-minute equaliser and then, with extra time looming, crossed for substitute Lautaro Martinez to head in the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
It was maybe not quite up there with Diego Maradona’s legendary display in putting England to the sword in 1986, but the goals this time brought Argentina back from the dead and kept alive their hopes of winning back-to-back World Cups.
Argentina are in the final of the World Cup! The defending champions fought back from one goal down to defeat England and book a date in Sunday’s game.
Argentina will face Spain in the final on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
World football governing body, FIFA, has made a key video assistant referee, VAR decision ahead of the much exected World Cup semi-final match between England and Argentina.
The match will be played in Atlanta on Wednesday.
FIFA has opted to deploy an on-site VAR team for this high-profile encounter.
Previously, the VAR team had been functioning from a central hub located at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, regardless of the venue of each match.
However, for this particular game, the on-site officials will act as a backup in the event of any technical or communication difficulties.
Dan Hunt, a member of the Organising Committee, elaborated on the decision to have VAR operate on-site for the second semi-final as reported by Sport Bible.
He said, “There is a significant amount of drama that occurs during these matches. Moreover, when only four officials are tasked with overseeing the action on a field that is considerably larger than an American football field, it becomes quite challenging
“I am pleased that there will be on-site officials. I am uncertain about how the communication will be managed.”
FIFA has faced considerable criticism for the inconsistent VAR decisions throughout the tournament, with the defending champions Argentina benefiting from favorable calls without any against them, while England has experienced the opposite, resulting in a net negative outcome.
Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, has reacted to the Les Bleus’ World Cup semi-final 2-0 defeat to Spain.
Henry said that the La Roja were far superior to France during the encounter.
Spain defeated France on Tuesday to qualify for the World Cup final, thanks to goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro.
“Too little from France at the end of the day. Spain controlled the game on and off the ball,” Henry said on Fox Sports.
“They showed why they are European champions, they are showing why they are going into the final.
“Nothing to add, they were far superior, and there is nothing to say about it. Spain, congratulations. you deserves to go to the final,” he said.
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