CAN SPECIAL: Ghana-Nigeria: Who Will Conquer Whom?
It’s just two days to the start of the 25th Edition of the African Nations Cup with hosts Egypt playing the opener against Libya at the Cairo International Stadium. As the day draws nearer, speculation and excitement have filled the air and are intensifying. Much of this is also geared towards Group D’s opening match between two ‘big boys’ of West Africa - Ghana and Nigeria – whose encounter is set to raise eyebrows. Goal.com’s Africa correspondent Ibrahim Dabo sheds more light on the group with much emphasis on the match between Ghana and Nigeria.
This edition of Africa’s premier football showcase is expected not only to generate much interest from different sectors, compared to previous finals, but also to become one of the best in many years. Much of this will be attributable not only to the numerous talents that will be on show in the North African nation but also because of the recent shift in African football, which has seen teams like Angola and Ivory Coast rise beyond expectations and also qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals ahead of heavyweights Nigeria and Cameroon, respectively.
It should be noted that the new African faces that will be playing in the World Cup this year will try to show that their qualification for the finals did not come about by virtue of luck, while well known African powerhouses will be seeking to regain lost glory. Also, teams that are considered as underdogs to progress to the next stage of the Nations Cup with the likes of Libya and Zimbabwe will try to emulate Africa’s most impressive teams, in as much as they have nothing to lose.
Lastly, this Nations Cup features two very tough groups, - A & D – which I consider as Groups of Death.
Group A features hosts Egypt, who have made most finals with twenty appearances; Morocco, a team that went unbeaten throughout the joint 2006 qualifiers for both the African Nations Cup and World Cup but unfortunately did not to qualify for the summer finals; Ivory Coast, who are one of Africa’s most impressive teams and will make their debut in this year’s World Cup; and Libya, who are returning to the tournament after creating an impact during the 1982 finals, which they hosted.
Group D pairs two teams that played in the 2002 World Cup finals - Senegal (quarter-finalists) and Nigeria (first rounds), plus Ghana – who will be making their World Cup debut in Germany, underdogs Zimbabwe, who seem to be enjoying the fun of being whipped by Nigeria, unless they are ready to avenge those defeats during this tournament (they lost 0-3 to Nigeria in Harare and 1-5 during the return leg in Abuja during the joint qualifiers).
Before I lay emphasis on the match between Ghana and Nigeria, let’s take a quick look at Nigeria – Senegal. Remember those meetings between the pair during the 2000 African Nations Cup quarter-finals when Nigeria beat the Teranga Lions of Senegal 2-1 and two years later it was the Super Eagles who suffered defeat to Senegal by the same score during the semi-finals? The tension that was involved in those matches will be repeated in Egypt. Let’s now move on to the point, taking a closer look at the match between Ghana and Nigeria.
Group D: Ghana – Nigeria
It is an indisputable fact that no matter how high ‘eagles’ fly; they can never reach the ‘stars’ in the sky. However, when it comes to football, we shall see whether that rule applies when Nigeria’s Super Eagles lock horns with arch-rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana in a breathtaking drama that is set to unfold at the Port Said Stadium in Egypt on January 23. This encounter will be one of the toughest during the group stages of this tournament.
Apart from the past record between them, there are other significant aspects that need to be considered when these two sides meet. Bear in mind that it is not the records that play the match but the fielded twenty-two players, eleven from each side. One of the important things that needs to be considered is the current form of both teams. Also players present and those absent is another factor that will help determine the outcome of the match. Thirdly, the expectations of the fans will also have an effect on both coaches and players.
Ghana will be missing three influential players for this match and for the tournament as a whole. Italy-based duo Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan as well as Chelsea’s Micheal Essien are all ruled out of the tournament following injuries they suffered prior to CAF’s January 10 deadline to submit team roosters. Their absence will have a psychological effect on the team and moreover, many Ghanaians who had been wishing to see these players feature in the tournament, especially against Nigeria, will be missing them a lot.
Some might say Ghana can still fare well without those players, after all, they beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 in an international friendly match in November without Essien and Turkey-based captain Stephen Appiah. Whatever the case, the presence of the above-mentioned trio would have made a significant difference.
One thing that will boost the morale of the Black Stars is that they know they will be making their much-awaited debut in the World Cup finals this year. They know their performance in Egypt will be used as an assessment for how well they can perform in Germany. Moreover, they will not want to cut short the euphoria that has overwhelmed Ghanaian fans following their recent success. Nevertheless, they will have to rely on experienced defender Samuel Osei Kuffour (Roma, Italy), inspirational midfielder and captain Stephen Appiah (Fenerbache, Turkey) and Matthew Amoah (Borussia Dortmund, Germany) among players to make a difference.
On the part of the Super Eagles, they know how disappointed their fans are after failing to make a fourth consecutive appearance in the 2006 World Cup finals, especially missing out to the advantage of minors Angola who were never touted to qualify from their group. Coach Austin Eguavoen and his boys know that excelling in this tournament is the best thing that should happen in order to restore a glimmer of hope in the team for the 128 million Nigerians back home and millions of others residing in other countries. Besides, they will be looking forward to show many that they are still one of Africa’s best teams and emerge as champions for the third time after last winning it in Tunisia in 1994.
Many might think because they failed to qualify for the World Cup, they might display a poor performance in Egypt, which I don’t think will be the case. I think lessons have been learned and whatever problems led to their failure to qualify for the World Cup – be it coaching problems, administrative problems or lack of commitment from players – should not hinder their progress this time around. Among the players in their squad, the likes of Julius Aghahowa (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine) and Obafemi Martins (Inter Milan, Italy) will be a major threat to opposing defenders. These two will also be vying to show who can do the most entertaining acrobatic display during their post-goalscoring celebrations.
Nations Cup Record
Ghana have qualified for the Nations Cup fifteen times and will be looking forward to winning a record fifth title when they play in Egypt. Let’s examine their record since 1990. They failed to qualify in 1990 but qualified for the 1992 finals where they won the silver medal. Their record since then is: 1994 (quarter-finals), 1996 (fourth place), 1998 (first round), 2000 (quarter-finals), 2002 (quarter-finals) and 2004 (did not qualify).
Nigeria have qualified for the Nations Cup fourteen times. They did not feature in 1996 due to political reasons and in 1998 they were disqualified for failing to feature in the previous finals. Let’s examine their record since 1990. They won the silver medal in 1990, 1992 (third place), 1994 (champions), 1996 (withdrew), 1998 (disqualified), 2000 (second place), 2002 (third place) and 2004 (third place).
2006 African Nations Cup and World Cup Qualifier Record
Ghana won six of their matches, drew two and lost one, securing a total of twenty-one points to qualify for their first ever World Cup.
Nigeria had a similar record, winning six of their matches, drawing two and losing one to gain a total of twenty-one points. Even though they had the same points total as Angola, the latter qualified for the World Cup ahead of the Super Eagles based on their better head-to-head record. Nigeria lost 1-0 away to Angola in Luanda and drew 1-1 during the return leg in Kano.
Pre-Nations Cup Friendly Matches:
Ghana beat Saudi Arabia 3-1 win in Riyadh in November as they kicked off preparations for the African Nations Cup. However, they failed to produce good results in their two last friendly matches, losing 1-0 to Togo last Wednesday and 2-0 to defending African Champions Tunisia on Sunday, which has raised concerns about how they will fare in their group during the tournament.
Nigeria lost 4-2 to Portuguese club Farense and secured a goalless draw with German club Freiburg during their training camp in Portugal.
Goal.com Match Prediction
The match between Ghana and Nigeria will surely be highly contested with both sides displaying skills and tight marking. The fact is that both are strong teams and would happily settle for at least a draw. My initial thought was a 1-1 draw but something else is telling me that one side will possibly have a golden chance during the final minutes and will make use of it. Ghana might probably take the early lead with the Super Eagles levelling the scores after the break. Then the golden opportunity during the final minutes, which I see falling to Nigeria, will eventually leave the score 2-1. Do you agree with me? My prediction may sound weird but you can also post your predictions using the form below while we wait to see the outcomes.
Goal.com Group Prediction
This group fields three top teams but at the end of the day, one will have to go home early. Should Nigeria face an early exit, they know what awaits them from the desperate fans. According to the records above, since 1990, Nigeria have reached the semi-finals in every appearance they made which makes it hard for anyone to reason why they should fail to qualify from this group.
The momentum seems to be high on the part of Ghana and they are expected to progress to the next stage. Now the reason why I am predicting that Nigeria and Ghana will qualify from this group is not based on the fact that I enjoy eating their local foods – “Eba” and “Kenki” (wish I knew their names in English) respectively – but because of some of the reasons I have already highlighted.
No doubt, Senegal is also a top side and will be highly inspired by El Hadji Diouf and Henri Camara; but whether the Teranga Lions can make it through this group is yet to be seen. It will be difficult for them to qualify from this group. Not that I am totally ruling off their chances and in fact, I also like one of their local foods - Ebeh - which I enjoyed eating once while I was on transit in the country.
Zimbabwe have nothing to lose but have done well in qualifying for a second successive finals. Even though no team should be underrated nowadays, I do not see the Warriors posing a major threat to the heavyweights in this group who will be more than hungry for a place in the quarter-finals and beyond.