USWNT coach speaks on what he expects to get from playing Nigeria

 

I asked USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski what he expects to take away from playing Nigeria, a team that the USA have never lost to and beat 4-0 just recently 

Warriors Steve Kerr, Jazz's Azubuike among NBA stars coming to coach in Africa for BWB

 

 

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is heading to Egypt this month for Basketball Without Borders camp

Nigeria's Udoka Azubuike will join Golden State Warriors NBA title winning coach Steve Kerr and other NBA players, coaches and executives to coach 64 of the top boys and girls from 26 African countries at the 18th Basketball Without Borders camp in Cairo Egypt this month.

NBA Africa, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Egyptian Basketball Federation announced on Thursday that the camp, holding at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo, Egypt, will mark the first time the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in Egypt and the first time on the continent since 2019 in Senegal.

BWB Africa 2022 will bring together more than 60 of the top male and female players ages 18 and under from across Africa, including 14 NBA Academy Africa prospects and six NBA Academy Africa Women’s Program participants, to learn directly from current and former NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside the best young players on the continent.  The campers and coaches will also take part in life skills, leadership development and community service programming.

Of those 64 players, Segun Obe and Emmanuel Tobi Stephen, will represent Nigeria.  

Nigeria's Udoka Azubuike of the Utah Jazz will coach at the BWB camp in Egypt

Apart from Nigeria's Udoka, the campers will be coached by NBA players Mo Bamba (Orlando Magic; U.S.; ties to Ivory Coast), 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon (U.S.; Boston Celtics) and Grant Williams (U.S.; Celtics), as well as NBA Global Ambassador and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Joining the NBA players and legends will be Kerr, the nine-time NBA champion and Golden State Warriors head coach, 2004 NBA champion and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, two-time NBA champion and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green, Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, tying for the most NBA head coaches to participate in a single BWB camp.  Milwaukee Bucks associate head coach Charles Lee and Charlotte Hornets associate head athletic trainer Quinton Sawyer will also coach at the camp.

Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri completes the Nigeria connection. He will be joined by Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Mike Gansey, Los Angeles Clippers scout Lance Blanks, and World Association of Basketball Coaches President and FIBA Technical Commission Chair Patrick Hunt (Australia) who will all serve as camp directors.

 Players and coaches will lead campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions.  Players and coaches will also host a unified Jr. NBA clinic for 100 boys and girls at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex on Monday, Aug. 29, in collaboration with Special Olympics.

 A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the BWB Africa 2022 MVP, Defensive MVP, Three-Point Champion and Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.

 A record 41 former BWB campers were among the record 121 international players on 2021-22 NBA opening-night rosters, including Gorgui Dieng (San Antonio Spurs; Senegal; BWB Africa 2009), five-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2011) and NBA champion Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors; Cameroon; BWB Africa 2012).

The NBA and FIBA have hosted 65 BWB camps in 30 countries since the program’s launch in 2001.  BWB has reached more than 3,800 participants from 134 countries and territories, with 105 former campers having advanced to the NBA or WNBA.

NFF "saddened" by Falconets travel snafu, promises bonus payments

 

Falconets on arrival in Abuja and received by NFF officials led by General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi

After a grueling travel schedule, Nigeria's under 20 women's national team finally arrived home on Wednesday afternoon and were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja by an NFF delegation led by General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, who expressed sadnesss at the travel snafu experienced by the team.

The team spent 24 hours at Istanbul's Ataturk airport sleeping on the floor while waiting for their connecting flight to Nigeria after flight delays saw them miss their original connection

"We just want to let you know that Nigerians appreciated all you did," Sanusi told the players. "But we are saddened that on your way back, you had to sleep at the airport for reasons beyond our control. The arrangement was done by FIFA and you know what happened better than us."

Sanusi also promised the players that the NFF would pay them qualifying bonuses for the tournament 

"We want to assure you that the same time the Super Falcons are going to be paid, you are also going to be paid your bonuses."

Earlier on Wednesday, the federation released a statement explaining the embracing travel situation 

“The NFF did not book the team’s tickets from Costa Rica; FIFA did," Ssanusi said in the statement. "FIFA also did not envisage the hitches that saw the team delayed for more than three hours in Bogota, and another one hour in Panama. By the time the team got to Istanbul, the flight to Abuja had left.

 

“Our officials pleaded for compassionate transit visas so as to take the players and officials to a hotel inside the town, but this was not possible as they were informed that Nigeria had been removed from the list of countries whose citizens were issued visa-on-arrival in Turkey. 

"The airline then took the team to a sleeping area at the airport and gave them tickets to have meals every five hours. This situation has nothing to do with NFF, who had made arrangements to receive the team in Abuja before the complications in travel arrangements.”

 

The federation also explained that the players chose to wash their jerseys by hand on their own, but was quiet as to why they had to buy footwear with borrowed money

 “The players were handed three sets of green jerseys and two sets of white jerseys, several house-wear types and training jerseys. The players opted to wash only their jersey top (no other stuff) because when the first set of body-wear was sent to the laundry people at the hotel, it returned with some FIFA and NFF badges at the front and names at the back peeled by the machine.” 

Dejected Falconets sleep on Turkey airport floor

 

It is rare that a Nigerian national team travels to an international competition and returns sans drama, usually of the embarrassing and disgraceful variety.

And once again, that ugly devil strikes again, with the Under 20 women’s team stuck at the Istanbul airport on a 24 hour layover, sleeping on airport benches, and on the floor of the biting cold airport.

That is just the latest in a litany of troubles the team has faced while competing at the tournament.

Beneath their stirring performance at the 2022 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup, the Falconets weathered and continue to weather head winds that not even adults should have to experience, let alone teenage kids.

Player sources say the team were provided very limited equipment, with just three sets of their green home kit and two sets of the white away kit. This meant the players had to wash their jersey by hand after every game, and were unable to exchange jerseys.

Worse, despite the NFF having an official kit supplier, the young ladies were not supplied official footwear and were asked instead to buy their own footwear.

And so the players - who are only getting paid $50 as daily match allowance and no bonuses - borrowed money to buy Nike sneakers and playing boots.

Worse was to come. 

After their elimination against the Netherlands, the players had barely three hours to sleep before heading off to the airport, expecting to arrive home within a day or two. They were sorely mistaken.

“We’ve been on a trip to Nigeria since 6:30am Monday. We are currently sleeping at the Istanbul Airport awaiting a 6pm Wednesday flight Istanbul time  to Abuja.”

How did that happen?

According to team officials, their tickets were booked for Tuesday evening on Avianca.

But the Colombian flag carrier rebooked the team on Turkish Air leading to a four-hour delay in Colombia. That, coupled with a stop in Panama meant the team missed their Tuesday connection flight.

NFF’s Leader of Delegation Ruth David tried in vain to ask the airline for accommodation, but without transit visas, the pleas accomplished nothing and the team were forced to spend 24 hours at the airport awaiting their connecting flight to Abuja

But their struggles will not end when they arrive in Abuja. The players have been given N40 000 each as local transport allowance.

Meaning that after three days of grueling travel, they would have to travel by road (or train) from Abuja to whatever state their final destination is.

To be a Nigerian. . .

SABASTINE'S FLOURISH AND OTHER OBSERVATIONS FROM FALCONETS 1-0 WIN OVER FRANCE

 

After the crushing disappointment of Randy Waldrum’s poorly-coached Super Falcons at the 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations, football fans were looking up to the Falconets to restore some measure of respect back to the name at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup.

Hopes may be one thing, expectations are quite another. So, despite those hope, not many expected them to do too well against European champions France. 

Which would explain why not many Nigerians stayed up at the ungodly midnight hour that it was in Nigeria, to watch the next iteration of Super Falcons open their World Cup campaign.

But Christopher Danjuma’s girls were not to be discouraged, and completely dominated and outclassed the bigger, more physical French players in the opening 20 minutes under torrential rain.

The downpour forced the game to be suspended, and on resumption, they appeared to have lost some of their steam, the French looking marginally better in the second half of the first half.

Still, Flourish Sabastine’s well-placed goal late in the game sealed a well-earned win and three points for the Nigerian girls. More than that, their disciplined tactical play was a marked improvement from the dross Nigerians were served at WAFCON.

So what did we take away from their heartening win? Here goes

THIS IS HOW WE PLAY

Watching the Falconets play out with confidence from the back, passing the ball crisply, playing as a team, making good runs, using space and just generally making good decisions overall, reminded Nigerians exactly why they fell in love with the original Super Falcons in the first place.

Yess, the team made some basic errors and some of their decision-making, especially in the final third could have been better. But their foundations looked good, and it was clear that they were trying to play the right way. Always looking to find the open player, never ball hogging, quick, energetic and disciplined, esspecially in defence.

France, as good as they were, did not present any real threat in open play, Their most dangerous opportunities only came from corner kicks. Which takes us nicely into point 2

SET PIECE DEFENDING AND GOALKEEPING MUST IMPROVE

Almost everything the girls did was superb. The one area where they had issues was in defending set pieces, especially those lateral balls from cornerkicks. Goalkeeper Oyono Omini was having troubling dealing with crosses, flapping away at them with troubling regularity. That included one occasion when her misjudgement saw the ball bundled in by substitute Jade Nassi. Thankfully, that was chalked off - with the aid of VAR - for a foul on Omini, but the worries remain.

If the Falconets, two-time runners up, are to match and even exceed their previous results by winning the whole shebang, they will need improved showings from Omini. Or a replacement.

FLOURISH LEADS CAST OF IMPRESSIVE STARS

What a joy it was to watch Flourish Sabastine, and not just for her goal. All game long, her energy, positive attitude, fearless ability to take players on and skill on the ball marked her out as one to make a difference which she eventually did with a controlled precise finish.

But she was not alone. Skipper Oluwatosin Demehin showed why she earned an invitation to the senior squad, defending with composure, unyielding in her strength, quick to the ball and smart in making her reads of dangerous plays.

And in midfield, Esther Onyenezide showed she could be as smooth an operator as any.

Mercy Idoko’s vision to pick out Sabastine for that flourishing finish was just as worthy of commendation as any. And one needs to keep an eye on left back Rofiat Imuran

Super Falcons Player Ratings after 1-0 win over Cameroon

 

Nigeria qualified for the semifinals and also secured a spot at next year's FIFA Women’s World Cup finals and here's how Rotimi Akindele rated the players in the quarter final win over rivals Cameroon.

Chiamaka Nnadozie, 7

Cool, calm and collected as always. Helped in making the defense pay attention to little details, was never really troubled and was solid enough to register her third straight clean sheet in the competition

Toni Payne, 6

Played as a make-shift right back before she switched to the left towards the latter stages of the game. Was pretty decent in the position especially with her pace and solid clearances. One of the versatiles in the team

Osinachi Ohale, 6

Had another decent game in the center half and would be proud to have helped register another clean sheet

Onome Ebi

Definitely marching on with her experience. Made some vital touches and intercepted a lot aerially. She won't be so bothered about getting into the referee's book

Asleigh Plumptre, 6

Played in a position where she is still trying to adapt but had put in a good shift before she was replaced in the second half

Halimat Ayinde, 7

Steady midfield performance. Easily breaks opponents play and has an eye to launch good passes towards the attack. One of Nigeria's best performers on the night

Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene, 8

Proving to be a midfield maestro. She was solid all through as she helped the attack and the defense during the entire game. Made the strong brilliant move that led to the only goal of the game. It was an MVP performance but she didn't get the award post game and we all knew why…

Rasheedat Ajibade, 8

Got Nigeria's only goal of the night. Proving to be an asset to the team since day 1 especially since Oshoala's injury. Was well positioned for the winning goal and read the ball nicely. Helped with defense as well whenever she's not driving the attack. She was voted the Woman of the Match post game

Ifeoma Onumonu, 6

Still struggling to lead the pack but her all round presence is commendable. She delivered the pin-point cross that found Ajibade for the only goal. She's got to find the back of the net often to boost her confidence

Christy Ucheibe, 6

Average performance in the midfield, good enough to help the team grind out the win

Francisca Ordega, 5

After some early incursions in the first half, she was lost for the better part of the game especially as she struggled to really hold down her own from the wings

Subs

Michelle Alozie, 6

Came in to help the defense and did well for over 25 minutes. A good asset

Uchenna Kanu, 4

Did little after being brought on

Rita Chikwelu, 5

Brought in the needed experience to calm some nerves late on

Regina Otu, 4

Did little or nothing within the short time

Gift Monday, 4

Still struggling to get enough playing time

REVENGE ONE OF THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR AS NIGERIA FACE CAMEROON FOR A WORLD CUP PLACE

 

Conquering Africa nine times in twelve attempts comes with both a blessing and a curse. That's the fate of the Super Falcons of Nigeria, the undisputed queens of African women's football. On one hand, they have the ultimate bragging rights and history a lot would kill for, creating a gap in the process that will take decades to reduce or close. On the flip side, it regularly puts a target on their back during African qualifiers and championships, as teams develop their game and prepare to topple them.

Kufre Ekpe provides a few things to look out for as the Super Falcons take on Cameroon in a high stakes game of winner takes World Cup ticket and place in the semifinal

CAMEROON GOING FOR REVENGE

Among the biggest rivalries in African women’s football is Nigeria v Cameroon and this is as far as football rivalries go - rich, intense, exciting, gruelling and physical. 

In 31 years, the Super Falcons and Indomitable Lionesses have met four times in the final of the WAFCON. The Nigerian ladies have dominated the Indomitable Lionesses in all.

Nigeria and Cameroon have met in all editions except for 2002 (paths didn't cross) and 1995 (the Lionesses were walked over).

The last time both sides met was at the 2016 Final in Yaounde, where the Super Falcons denied the Lionesses their first time, and in front of their fans and president, costing them money and national honours.

It is a pain that is yet to go away and what better way for Cameroon to claim their pound of flesh than to deny their rivals the chance of a direct World Cup ticket for the first time.

CAN NIGERIA SHOW BOUNCEBACKABILITY?

In 2018, the Super Falcons lost to South Africa in their opening game, but bounced back to win their next two games and qualify for the semfinal (it was still an eight team tournament at the time).

Their semifinal opponents were, you guessed it, Cameroon. A tough game ended 0-0 and the Super Falcons triumphed 4-2 on penalties and then went on to win the final against South Africa, also on penalties.

Is history about to repeat itself?

The first three games of the Super Falcons have taught us many things about the team. They have rebounded from a below-par, pegged-back performance against Banyana Banyana to play possessive, tactical games against Botswana and Burundi. They were good and dominant in the last two games of the group stage. But will that be enough going head-to-head against an ambitious Cameroon?

And will it be enough to take them all the way to La Decima?

HOW IMPORTANT WILL OKOBI AND PAYNE BE? AND HOW WILL WALDRUM SHAPE UP TACTICALLY

Aside from the first game, midfielder Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene has featured in others and has proven she's an asset that will a handful for Cameroon.

In a free role, Sweden-based Okobi-Okeoghene was instrumental to Waldrum's tactical deployment against Botswana. Bursting with agility, she was the driving force, providing energy, forward play and control to the team’s play for 64 minutes. In 90 minutes against Burundi, she had the higher number of key passes (5).

The 28-year-old's influence in the midfield underlines her pivotal role as a versatile midfielder. The Eskilstuna United player is a battler, a clear head and a steady presence for the Falcons. Her recovery rate is also impressive. A midfield collaboration with Halimatu Ayinde and Peace Efih will avail the team grit and balance to match Cameroon's physical strength.

Defensively, Michelle Alozie is expected to be back on the right. But it will be fascinating to see what Waldrum decides for the left spot as he's started three different left-wing backs in three games - Ashleigh Plumptre (South Africa), Toni Payne (Botswana) and Nicole Payne (Burundi). Glory Ogbonna has also played there as a sub, for 43 minutes against Burundi.

Though not a natural left back, the overwhelming choice will be Toni Payne. She has established herself as an offensively gifted player and played an advanced role against South Africa. But Waldrum unpredictably played her as a left-wing back in Botswana's game, and she provided something new - pace, drive and quick recovery. These attributes will come in handy against Cameroon.

The centre-back partnership of captain Onome Ebi and Osinachi Ohale has gotten better with the passing of the competition. Both are good passers of the ball, recording excellent passing accuracy so far, specifically in the last two games. Singling out the WOTM against Burundi, Ohale, she's been impressive in her ball distribution, constantly supplying long balls to the forwards. Rasheedat Ajibade benefited tremendously from this against Burundi.

Waldrum reverted to the 4-3-3 formation against Burundi, this time making use of the wings. Nigeria's wing play troubled the Burundesi. Ajibade and Uchenna Kanu exploited their space, outpacing their markers. This is another element of their game strategy that Cameroon should be wary of.

It will be interesting to see how Waldrum will line up against Cameroon but a starting roster of Nnadozie; T. Payne, Ebi, Ohale, Alozie; Ayinde, Efih, Okobi-Okeoghene; Ajibade, Kanu and Onumonu will be very competitive and difficult to best.

Cameroonian Football Federation President, Samuel Etoó has given the team a semi-final target, which makes this fixture a do-or-die battle against the title holders.

QUICK TAKEOUTS FROM GOLDEN EAGLETS WIN OVER HUNGARY

Golden Eaglets lineup ahead of their opening game against Hungary

Heart and guts overcame an error-ridden performance by Nigeria, as the Golden Eaglets opened their FIFA Under 17 World Cup campaign with a come from behind win over Hungary on Saturday night.

Hungary poked the tiger within three minutes of the opening, their early pressure forcing Nigeria on the backfoot and Gyorgy Komaromi found himself in good position to draw first blood after just three minutes.

Captain Samson Tijani drew the Golden Eaglets level from the sport after Wisdom Ubani’s nifty footwork got him into the box only to be clipped. Samuel Major took advantage of further sloppy defending by Nigeria to restore Hungary’s advantage as they went into the break on top. 

But three late goals, two of those in the span of a minute, took Nigeria to victory.

Here are a few thoughts from the game

EAGLES AND EARLY PRESSURE DON’T MIX

It was obvious that Hungary had watched tapes of the Nigeria team ahead of the game, and looked to exploit the weaknesses early. They peppered the fullback positions and scored both their goals from high, early pressure that the Nigerians found difficult to deal with.

Although they failed to keep up the momentum, bombarded as they were any Nigeria’s physical superiority and skill, their technical ability meant they did not have to overly exert themselves in a first half where they allowed the Eaglets to do all the running while they simply sat back and picked them off almost at will.

This is by no means the most talented squad Manu Garba has put together in his time as a youth coach, so there will be lot more work needed to help them along the way, That means studying film of the opposition ahead of and fixing his own team’s weaknesses.

One of those is dealing with the press. They did not handle it well against Hungary and need to work on it going forward.

PLENTY OF HEART TO GO AROUND THESE EAGLETS 

To watch the first few minutes of the game, it looked like this iteration of Golden Eaglets were among the most disjointed ever.

Their passes continually went astray, touches looked heavy and the players appeared to be in a constant hurry to get nowhere fast. The calmness of the position made their haste even more glaring.

But the one thing the young men had more than enough of and then some, was heart. Even when they went down twice, their heads did not drop. They played with fire and the boisterousness of their youth. And even at the end, still had plenty of running in them as they overwhelmed Hungary by sheer force of character.

Heart and lungs are great traits to have, especially in the group phase. But they will need more than that if they are to go all the way.

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TIJANI IS A GEM, AMOO TOO

There was a lot that went wrong with the Golden Eagles on the night, and that includes players who did not pull their weight.

And the less said about the walkabout defense th ebetter.

But none of that could be said about man of the match and captain Samson Tijani. In the midst of the blundering chaos, he was the one calming influence. Everything the Nigerians played went through him, and it was when he had the ball that the team looked even slightly composed.

His two goals were just reward for the effort he put in.

And then there was Akinwunmi Amoo. It is uncertain why Garba decided to start him from the bench. It could have been for tactical reasons. But when he came on, he showed that he belongs on the starting eleven.

It is hard to see him starting on the bench now after coming on and totally changing the complexion of the Nigeria team.

LIVE: ALGERIA V NIGERIA. ALL THE BUILDUP TO THE BIG GAME

Super Eagles

8:58 National anthems are done, so are pre match formalities. And so I say, thank you for staying with me
Enjoy the game!

8:40 Warm ups are done. Teams have headed back into the dressing room. Algeria players got huge cheers when their lineup was read out. The Nigerians, apart from Ahmed Musa, barely got anything

8:10 The teams are coming out for the warmups now. First Algeria, then Nigeria. Alloy Agu, the Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer gives a big wave to the Nigeria fans in the stands and they respond with a huge cheer
The Super Eagles emerge from the tunnel to a big cheer. But the Algerians get an even bigger one. They have way more fans in the stands. They are the home team on paper. And it’s the same on the stands

7:30 The teams have arrived in the stadium

6:40 The Super Eagles have left their hotel and are on their way to the stadium.
For the superstitious amongst us, they will play today in their green away jersey. Make of that what you will

6:20 Dr Wiebe Boer is supporting the Super Eagles all the way from Trinidad and Tobago with his jersey on. Where are you supporting from?

And Gernot Rohr is naming an unchanged lineup from the one which beat South Africa in the last game. Do you like it?

6:11 Time for the ball kids to do their rehearsals

5:50 it’s just over three hours to the game. There are more media folks at the stadium than fans

4:00 Media folks are very upset. Their entrance gate was changed with no prior information. Now, journalists have to walk over half an hour, some lugging heavy equipment, to get to the Media Centre. In this heat! There are some very sweaty, sun-burned, angry people about

3:40 Time to stop and get some Papa John’s Chicken Wings before departure to the stadium 

3:00 In case you hadn’t heard, the Algerian military offered 6 military planes to airlift fans to Cairo for the game. This is in addition to the thousands who will be making the trip via chartered Air Algerie flights. Looks like Nigeria fans will be outnumbered. But will they be out-sung?

2:30PM One thing that has been very noticeable is that the Super Eagles players have been off social networks since last night. Only one player - and I won’t say who - updated his Snapchat late last night and that was just listening to music.
On WhatsApp, there has been no status updates. 

2PM An early picture of the stadium and this is what it looks like. No indication of the din and bedlam that is just hours away now

1PM: As is to be expected for a game that is now 8 hours away, everywhere is quiet but we will bring you some pictures from Nigeria training on Saturday

Super Eagles training at the Aero Sports Complex in Cairo on Saturday afternoon

It is semifinal day at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and Nigeria’s Super Eagle go up against Algeria’s Fennecs in what should be a battle for the ages. 

A budding Nigeria side who have already despatched Cameroon and made light work of South Africa, now face arguably their biggest test of the tournament so far, a resurgent, organized and very disciplined Algeria side who are yet to taste defeat and conceded only their first goal of the tournament against Cote d’Ivoire in the quarterfinals.

The winners, of course, will play for the big prize. Nigeria are seeking a fourth title. Algeria, only their second. Both sides won their first ever titles against each other. Nigeria beating Algeria 3-0 in Lagos to claim their first win in 1980, and the Algerians returning the favour in 1994 via a 1-0 win in Algiers.

Recenteetings have gone the way of the Super Eagles, who have six wins from their last eight meetings.

Kickoff is at 8PM Nigeria time from the Cairo International Stadium. But we will have over eight hours of buildup here on ColinUdoh.com so feel free to chirp in on Twitter (see what I did there), Facebook and Instagram.

So away we go, then.

YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! BELMADI RILED BY NIGERIA JOURNALIST IN BENSEBAINI SELF-SLAP QUERY IN BUILD UP TO NIGERIA MATCH UP

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi

It was perhaps the first press conference involving Nigeria at this Africa Cup of Nations where the pre-match vibe quickly turned adversarial. Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi took exception to being asked by Nigerian journalist Chisom Mbonu if he condoned the behavior of his player Ramy Bensebaini, who tried to get Wilfred Zaha sent off, by grabbing the Ivorien’s arm, using it to slap his own face then going down theatrically.

"I'm not really sure this is the place to talk about this," was his response. ”If you try to put pressure on us, it is not the right way. There is a referee for that and VAR for that and it's not your job to talk about this.”

Algerian journalists at the pre-match press conference broke out in applause.

Belmadi subsequently fielded soft ball questions from the Algerian media, but his hackles were already up and the coach finished the rest of the event unsmiling.

If that answer was an attempt to deflect attention away from the Algerians’ penchant for the dark arts, it was not entirely successful as much of the pre-match reporting around the world has been focused on his refusal to answer the question.

This, inspite of Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, who until then appeared unaware of the incident, trying to play down the incident

“We didn’t see that. We watched the tactical situations of the match, we continue to analyze the tactical things.”

But it definitely set the tone for Sunday’s game between these two old adversaries, who have met multiple times in both Africa Cup of Nations and in qualifying.

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The Super Eagles dominate their recent meetings, with six wins from eight confrontations. That is a record that riles the Algerians and one they are keen to flip, and join the team which won their sole title on home soil in 1990

"The one that we won was in 1990, a long time ago when it was at home. We've never won since. This is away from home, it's more difficult of course," said Belmadi.

"This is our target, we want to write our history and the players want to write their history as well. It's not far - two more steps, but two very difficult steps to this great achievement. We will try our best.”

For Rohr, who has been under some pressure from the start of the tournament, scaling his semifinal bar has taken a lot of that load off his shoulders, but defeat will still not be countenanced, as Nigeria set their sights on a fourth trophy.

Out of 24 have emerged four, and these two richly deserve their place. Hopefully, they will serve up a treat devoid of gamesmanship or worse, those aforementioned dark arts.

NIGERIA & ALGERIA AT SENIOR LEVEL

10 Jan 1973: Nigeria 2 Algeria 2 – Lagos (All-Africa Games)

28 July 1978: Algeria 1 Nigeria 0 – Algiers (All-Africa Games Final)

22 March 1980: Nigeria 3 Algeria 0 – Lagos (AFCON Final)

10 Oct 1981: Nigeria 0 Algeria 2 – Lagos (World Cup Qualifier)

30 Oct 1981: Algeria 2 Nigeria 1 – Constantine (World Cup Qualifier)

10 March 1982: Algeria 2 Nigeria 1 – Benghazi (AFCON)

11 March 1984: Algeria 0 Nigeria 0 – Bouake (AFCON)

15 Jan 1988: Algeria 1 Nigeria 0 – Annaba (Olympics Qualifier)

30 Jan 1988: Nigeria 2 Algeria 0 – Enugu (Olympics Qualifier)

23 March 1988: Algeria 1 Nigeria 1 – Rabat (AFCON semi, 8-9 penalties)

2 March 1990: Algeria 5 Nigeria 1 – Algiers (AFCON)

16 March 1990: Algeria 1 Nigeria 0 – Algiers (AFCON Final)

13 July 1993: Nigeria 4 Algeria 1 – Lagos (World Cup Qualifier)

8 Oct 1993: Algeria 1 Nigeria 1 – Algiers (World Cup Qualifier)

21 Jan 2002: Algeria 0 Nigeria 1 – Bamako (AFCON)

3 July 2004: Nigeria 1 Algeria 0 – Abuja (World Cup Qualifier)

4 Sept 2005: Algeria 2 Nigeria 5 – Oran (World Cup Qualifier)

30 Jan 2010: Algeria 0 Nigeria 1 – Benguela (AFCON)

12 Nov 2016: Nigeria 3 Algeria 1 – Uyo (World Cup Qualifier)

11 Nov 2017: Algeria 1 Nigeria 1 – Constantine (World Cup Qualifier). Match later awarded 3-0 to Algeria as Nigeria fielded ineligible player.