Hugo Broos has attributed South Africa’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 opening loss to Mali to the missed penalty in the first half as well as the physicality of the Eagles.

Hugo Broos has attributed South Africa’s TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 opening loss to Mali to the missed penalty in the first half as well as the physicality of the Eagles.

South Africa were humbled to a 2-0 defeat after a positive start in the first half that lacked the all-important finishing touch.

Speaking after disappointing result, the 2017 tournament winner with Cameroon said the missed penalty by Percy Tau and the physicality that the Malians came with in the second half contributed to the loss.

“The performance of South Africa was good, and I think if we scored the penalty, we would have been good. They were more physical than the first half. This was the major difference. We lost a lot of balls and mostly because of the physical conditioning of Mali was better than us. So this is the difference and this is where Mali was able to change the game, not at the football playing level” said Broos.

“The coach of Mali saw what he had to do, and they were stronger on duels in the second half and we couldn’t play our game anymore. We lost the ball where we shouldn’t have lost it but then again, I think the performance was good but just not good enough” concluded a dejected Broos.

Up next for the South Africans is a Southern African tie with their high in confidence neighbors, Namibia who secured a historic 1-0 victory over Tunisia in the earlier kick off.

The Sunday clash will take place at the at the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo at 20h00 local time.

The camp of Nigeria’s senior men football team, Super Eagles has decried reports in sections of the media that have continued to garnish the medical case of Spain-based forward Sadiq Umar with conspiracy theories, incorrect assumptions and unbecoming insinuations. The camp has released a statement with regards to how the player was withdrawn from Nigeria’s squad for the 34^th Africa Cup of Nations finals ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire.

We are surprised at the news trending on social media concerning Sadiq Umar and how he was withdrawn from the team camp. The fact is that our medical team meticulously abided by the best medical procedures and were diligent in their processes and conclusions before advising Head Coach José Peseiro that the player be withdrawn from the squad. 

The player, Sadiq Umar, was okay when he arrived at camp; he had to undergo the standard pre-competition medical assessment and he was good. He started to train with the team. Unfortunately, he copped an injury on the back of his left knee during our friendly match against Guinea in Abu Dhabi on 8^th January, that led to a penalty against our opponents. The medical team advised that he substituted, as a cautionary measure, but he said he was fine and could continue the game. At half time, he said he reiterated that he was good to continue playing, and he played the entire 90 minutes. 

However, the following day, he woke up to see the knee swelling, and the medical team had to apply ice which is the normal thing. The same day, we had to travel to Lagos and on the 10^th January, flew to Abidjan. Then, the swelling became worse.

Most of the reports we have seen are not a true representation of what actually happened. We have a very competent medical team who are well-trained in sport and exercise medicine and highly experienced and exposed to the most modern techniques and practices. They followed all due processes and protocol in tandem with the consultant knee surgeon that the player himself contacted in Spain, before the decision was made in the interest of the nation and the career of the player.

As much as the medical team has refused to join issues with anyone due to their professional patience and privacy policy, we will not allow anyone to rubbish our collective responsibility as Team Nigeria to this Africa Cup of Nations championship. We reiterate that the player was carried along throughout the process, and he started his rehabilitation with the team physiotherapist before he returned to his club in Spain.    

Nigeria’s playing body has long concluded a diagnosis of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with neighbours Equatorial Guinea and looking very much forward to what they believe will be an ‘interesting encounter’ with host nation Cote d’Ivoire at the 34^th Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

The table-topping Elephants, two-time champions of the continental competition, will look to book an early Round of 16 ticket by defeating Nigeria at the newly-built Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Ebimpe, while three-time champions and podium appearance-leaders Nigeria, joint-second on the group A log, are determined to wrestle all the points and enhance their prospects of a slot in the knockout rounds.

Defender William Ekong, who led out the squad on Sunday, has appealed to Nigerians from all walks of life to keep supporting the team as they seek for all three points against the hosts on their own turf on Thursday evening.

“We went all out to pick the three points against Equatorial Guinea, but it didn’t happen. We live to fight another day. From our side, we are appealing to Nigerians from all over the world to keep supporting and believing in the team. Our objective is to first reach the knockout rounds and then we push strongly from there.”

Nigeria created opportunity after opportunity against the Thunder, but poor finishing ensured a 1-1 draw and share of the spoils on Sunday afternoon.

Coach José Peseiro has been provided with options in the fore with the arrivals of Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi, and the camp believes strongly that the team that scored 22 goals in qualifying (more than any other team in the series) could start firing better on Sunday.

“We expect a tough game because the Ivorians are the hosts and they are also top of our group. But we have our aspirations as well and we believe in ourselves,” defender Kenneth Omeruo said on Monday.

Half of the squad spent Monday morning in the gym before the evening training session, which was open to the media. 

The stature of Thursday’s encounter has been enhanced by current realities around the two teams, but it was always going to be a game to behold since the draw was made, as matches between both countries at senior level have been furious and feisty on the terrain, and even outside it.

Both countries first clashed at the Africa Cup of Nations when Nigeria hosted in 1980. The encounter at the National Stadium, Surulere ended scoreless, and it was Nigeria’s second game (as it will be on Thursday) of the tournament. The Eagles had to defeat Egypt in their third match to qualify for the semi finals (in which they pipped Morocco 1-0) to make progress, and eventually win the trophy for the first time.

Ten years later, both countries again clashed in the group phase, with Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) scoring the match’s only goal after just three minutes in Annaba. The Eagles eventually made it to the Final, losing 0-1 to the host nation, Algeria.

In 1994, both teams clashed in the semi-finals at the Stade El Menzah in Tunis. It ended in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw, with petite Michel Bassole scoring for the Ivorians and Yekini and Benedict Iroha netting for Nigeria. Yekini scored the winning penalty for the Eagles, and Nigeria notched her second crown by defeating Zambia 2-1 in the Final 

In 2006, both teams met in the semi-finals in Alexandria, with the Ivorians running away 1-0 winners. Two years later, the Ivorians were again 1-0 winners after Salomon Kalou scored the only goal in a group phase encounter in the Ghanaian city of Sekondi.

In 2013, on their way to a third triumph, the Eagles edged the Elephants 2-1 in a quarter-final like no other at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. Emmanuel Emenike and Sunday Mba scored for Nigeria.

In-between, there have been FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures, the most memorable of which remain the two matches between both teams in the race to USA 1994.

In Abidjan on 2^nd May, 1993, Yekini scored after only five minutes, but Abdoulaye Traore and Ibrahim Ouattara got the goals that gave the Elephants victory at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny. In Lagos four months later, goals by Yekini (a brace), Daniel Amokachi and Thompson Oliha handed Nigeria a 4-1 win. The Eagles went ahead to qualify for their first-ever FIFA World Cup finals.

PHOTO 1: William Ekong leaps above an Equatorial Guinea striker on Sunday while Alhassan Yuuf watches for any slip.

PHOTO 2: Defender Bright Osayi-Samuel in action.

PHOTO 3: Victor Osimhen leaps above all in the encounter with Thunder on Sunday.

It may have been a dream for Cape Verde to continue their mysterious runs against African football super powers, it was more than a nightmare for Ghana’s Black Stars as they were rudely shocked in Sunday’s starry night at Abidjan.

A tournament composing of the big names in African football has suddenly turned to Greek puzzle to the giants. While the 1-1 draw of the Nigeria Super Eagles with Equatorial Guinea was initially seen as the routine inconsistency of the Nigerian side, the laborious fashion in which the most successful AFCON sides, Egypt scrapped a draw against one of the most lowly rated African sides, Mozambique possibly gave an indication of what could be in the offing in the coming games.
The form books are being torn into shreds. Adios, predictability, bye bye to form books. Welcome to the new football order!

Of the four big names – Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Egypt and Ghana – all of them multiple past winners – only hosts, Cote d’Ivoire managed to avert an upset. This lends credence to the saying that there are no truly minnows in the game.
Ghana who were upstaged by Cape Verde will have to find new strategies as they clash with equally embarrassed Mohamed Salah – inspired Egypt when both meet in a potentially explosive encounter on Thursday.

The same applies to Nigeria who have everything to play for and to play against when they face table toppers, Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday. A loss by Nigeria sees Cote d’Ivoire sailing into the Round of 16. A draw see both hanging on till last match day of the group.
A win will be a pain-reliever for the Super Eagles who are yet to win a competitive encounter in three consecutive matches. Besides, it could be an harbinger of good fortunes. Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations on three instances they avoided defeat to Cote d’Ivoire.