Category: African News

Our African football page passionately on all continental topics of all National and International football news, Identifying football heroes on our continent.

Nigeria v Ivory Coast: bitter rivals competing for continental glory
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Nigeria v Ivory Coast: bitter rivals competing for continental glory

The Africa Cup of Nations final, which will take place on February 11 at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe, will see tournament favourites Nigeria facing off against hosts Ivory Coast. 

This highly anticipated match between two bitter rivals promises to be a titanic clash, with both teams vying for continental glory in the CAF AFCON 2023 final.

During the group stage of AFCON, Nigeria defeated the hosts with a narrow margin of 1-0. However, in the final, Cote d’Ivoire will be hoping to seek redemption. 

Winning a third AFCON on home soil would be a remarkable achievement, and Nigeria is aware of the fact that they are up against a tough challenge.

For Nigerian manager Jose Peseiro, outwitting his counterpart Emerse Fae will be crucial. Peseiro’s tactical prowess led Nigeria to victory against South Africa in the first semi-final, while Fae’s team overcame DR Congo 1-0. 

Recap Nigeria vs Ivory Coast: Tournament So Far

Nigeria has been performing exceptionally well in the competition – having qualified for the knockout stages as runners-up in Group A. They managed to draw 1-1 with group winners Equatorial Guinea and then secured wins against Guinea-Bissau (1-0) and fellow finalists Ivory Coast (1-0).

The Super Eagles continued their winning streak by knocking out Cameroon in the round of 16, Angola in the quarters and South Africa in the semi-finals. This has led them to their eighth AFCON final in history. Nigeria has won the cup before in 1980, 1994 and 2013, and they are looking to win their fourth championship this time around.

In contrast, Ivory Coast’s journey to the final could be seen as lucky. They won 2-0 against Guinea-Bissau in their opener but then fell 1-0 to Nigeria and were thrashed 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea. As a result, they were placed third in the group and qualified as the worst third-placed team.

However, the Elephants were able to turn their fortunes around by defeating defending champions Senegal in the round of 16 with a 5-4 penalty shootout. They then went on to win against Mali (2-1 a.e.t.) in the quarters and DR Congo (1-0) in the semi-finals to reach their fifth AFCON final in history. 

The Ivorian fans can’t wait to win the championship on home soil in what promises to be an exciting encounter.

  • Nigeria vs Ivory Coast: Head-to-Head Record (Since 2000)

  • Ivory Coast 0-1 Nigeria (01/24)
  • Nigeria 0-1 Ivory Coast (01/15)
  • Ivory Coast 2-0 Nigeria (07/13)
  • Nigeria 4-1 Ivory Coast (07/13)
  • Ivory Coast 1-2 Nigeria (02/13)
  • Ivory Coast 1-0 Nigeria (01/08)
  • Nigeria 0-1 Ivory Coast (02/06)
  • Ivory Coast 1-1 Nigeria (01/02)

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 – African News.

Sebastien Haller's goal set thrilling AFCON final date with Nigeria
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Sebastien Haller’s goal set thrilling AFCON final date with Nigeria

The hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, have secured a place in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations final after defeating DR Congo 1-0 with the help of Sebastien Haller’s goal. 

In the semi-final, Haller brilliantly flicked in Nicolas Pepe’s cross to score the match-winning goal. Cote d’Ivoire to battle Nigeria in a thrilling showdown as they aim to win the AFCON title on their home soil.

The Super Eagles advanced to the final on Wednesday after defeating South Africa 4-2 in a penalty shootout, following a tense 1-1 draw in Bouake.

The cagey contest in Abidjan saw Haller score the only goal in the 65th minute with a bouncing volley that went over Leopards’ goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.

The 29-year-old striker, who battled and recovered from testicular cancer, will lead Cote d’Ivoire’s attack alongside Pepe with a chance to win the trophy.

A win in the final would bring joy to Abidjan, as the tournament is being played on home soil. Despite struggling in their group, the Elephants have gained momentum despite their unconvincing performances.

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 – Players African News.

Bafana Bafana's Hugo Broos confident ahead of Nigeria tie
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Bafana Bafana’s Hugo Broos confident ahead of Nigeria tie

South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos, is confident as he prepares his team for the semi-final clash with the Super Eagles of Nigeria. 

The Bafana Bafana secured their place in the last four after defeating Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties on Saturday night. Goalkeeper Rowen Williams saved four spot kicks, which made him the hero of the night.

Broos said ahead of Nigeria’s cracker, “There was a lot of pressure in the match. Everyone wanted to qualify. This match was unlike the previous ones. We did not show the same performance as we had in previous matches. 

The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, who have good players like Lookman. We will not lose focus. The players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation”.

The match will take place at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake, on Wednesday.

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 African News.

José Peseiro calls for Nigeria to be clinical in attack
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

José Peseiro calls for Nigeria to be clinical in attack

Nigeria’s manager, José Peseiro, has urged his team to improve their attack ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash against South Africa.

The Nigerian national football team, also known as the Super Eagles, has advanced to the semi-finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 after defeating Angola with a score of 1-0. The result marked their fourth consecutive clean sheet at the tournament. 

They play against South Africa on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké (5:00 PM GMT). A victory in this match would bring them closer to their goal of winning a fourth title for Nigeria. 

While praising the team’s defensive strength, the head coach, Peseiro, hopes to see improvements in their attacking abilities. Although they managed to score a goal against Angola without conceding any, he believes that more goals would have been better.

The team could have created more opportunities,” he said. With only six goals scored in five games, the Portuguese coach feels Nigeria isn’t capitalizing on their quality. “We are a quality team Angola was very good, but we had more luck. I remain satisfied with my players but want us to be more efficient,” Peseiro added.

“We’re missing key creators like Iheanacho and Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up,” he noted. As Nigeria chase their fourth AFCON title, Peseiro believes finding a clinical edge could be decisive. 

The Super Eagles have ground-out results thanks to their miserly defence. But should they rediscover their scoring touch, Peseiro is on the verge of leading Nigeria back to the pinnacle of African football.

AFCON hosts Ivory Coast triumph with a last-gasp winner
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

AFCON hosts Ivory Coast triumph with a last-gasp winner

The Elephants of Ivory Coast, in front of home fans, pulled off another remarkable escape act in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Cote d’Ivoire and DR Congo will face each other in the semi-finals on Wednesday, February 7th at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan.

They won the quarterfinal match against Mali with a 122nd-minute goal from Oumar Diakite, which broke the hearts of the losing team.

The Ivorians played most of the game at a disadvantage since Odilon Kossounou was sent off for two first-half fouls on Lassine Sinayoko. They went behind to Nene Dorgeles’ beautiful curling shot.

In the 90th minute of the game, the Elephants managed to equalize thanks to an opportunistic finish from Simon Adingra. Then, in the extra time, they won the game with virtually the last kick as Diakite deflected Seko Fofana’s shot into the net.

Despite the victory, Diakite’s emotions were mixed as he received a second yellow card for removing his shirt in celebration. This means he will be banned for the upcoming semi-final match against DR Congo.

Unfortunately, the final whistle caused some unpleasant scenes. Several Mali players surrounded the referee, Mohamed Adel, and protested against his decisions. As a result, Hamari Traore was shown a red card for taking his protests too far.

Connect with us @football_sierra on Facebook/ Instagram, Football Sierra Leone, and the Writer Alie Bittar on Twitter @bittar32 African News.