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AFCON: 10 times Nigeria has played host countries and the results
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria would lock horns with AFCON host Morocco on Wednesday as both sides jostle for a place in the finals of the tournament.
Playing against the host nation at this crucial stage of the tournament seems a big task ahead, especially given the history of the team versus host nations.
Overall, both in the group and knockout stages, the Super Eagles have only won three times in the last ten (10) meetings against host nations, drawing three and losing four in the process.
1978 – Draw Against Ghana
Nigeria’s first recorded draw against a host nation came in 1978, when they faced Ghana in the tournament. The match ended level, highlighting an early stage of competitive encounters against host nations.
1990 – Group-Stage Loss to Algeria
The 1990 AFCON group stage saw Nigeria face Algeria, the host nation, and suffer a defeat by a goal to nil. It marked the first loss to a host in the tournament’s knockout-free early rounds.
1990 – Final Loss to Algeria
The 1990 African Cup of Nations final was a football match that took place on 16 March 1990, at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria, to determine the winner of the 1990 African Cup of Nations. Algeria defeated Nigeria 1–0 with a lone goal from Chérif Oudjani in the 38th minute to win their first African Cup.
1992 – Group-Stage Win Over Senegal
Nigeria recorded a solid 2-1 victory over Senegal, the tournament hosts, during the group stage of the 1992 AFCON. This win demonstrated the team’s ability to challenge host nations early in competitions.
2002 – Group Draw Against Mali
In 2002, Nigeria faced host nation Mali in the group stages, ending in a draw. Despite the stalemate early on, the tournament would later offer redemption against Mali.
2002 – Third-Place Win Over Mali
Later in the same tournament, Nigeria met Mali again in the third-place playoff, securing a 1-0 victory. This remains Nigeria’s only knockout win against a host nation at AFCON. Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored the only goal for Nigeria in that 1-0 victory.
2004 – Semi-Final Draw Against Tunisia
At the 2004 AFCON, Nigeria faced Tunisia, the hosts, in the semi-finals. The match ended 1-1, but Nigeria were eliminated after losing on penalties, showing the fine margins when playing against host sides.
2008 – Quarter-Final Loss to Ghana
The 2008 quarter-finals saw Nigeria face host nation Ghana, suffering a knockout defeat. The match highlighted the Super Eagles’ ongoing challenge in overcoming hosts in high-stakes games. Nigeria had reached four consecutive AFCON semi-finals (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006) before Ghana ended their run in that tournament.
2023 – Group-Stage Win Against Côte d’Ivoire
In the 2023 AFCON, Nigeria faced Côte d’Ivoire in the group stage, achieving a 1-0 victory. This marked a rare win over a host nation in the early stages of the tournament, with former captain Williams Troost-Ekong scoring a lone penalty to hand Nigeria the win.
2023 – Final Loss to Côte d’Ivoire
Later in the same tournament, Nigeria met Côte d’Ivoire again in the final, but fell 2-1, continuing the trend of host nations proving tough to beat in decisive matches. Again, it was Williams Troost-Ekong’s header that put the Super Eagles ahead before goals from Frank Kessie and Sebastian Haller cancelled out the advantage.
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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