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AFCON BRACKET UPDATE NOW: NIGERIA’S ROUND OF 16 DATE IS SET, SEE THE POTENTIAL OPPONENTS
Nigeria prepares for the AFCON Last 16 on January 5. The Super Eagles will face a third-place team, likely Cameroon or Mozambique.
Coach Chelle switched things up for the Uganda game, resting some important players since their group standing was locked. Stanley Nwabali, Semi Ajayi, Wilfred Ndidi, and Ademola Lookman were all close to getting a one-game suspension, which they would have had to sit out of the next round since yellow cards are cleared after group play.
Victor Osimhen was in the same situation but still started for Nigeria, even captaining the team for 87 minutes in their 3-1 win against Uganda without getting a card.
A much-changed Nigeria team made sure they ended their time in Morocco with a perfect record. Paul Onuachu, the big ex-Southampton striker, slid in to score from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru's cross before halftime.
Raphael Onyedika, who plays midfield for Club Brugge, scored twice in five minutes in the second half to make the lead bigger, thanks to two assists from Samuel Chukwueze. Uganda's goalie, Salim Magoola, who came in at halftime for the injured captain Denis Onyango, got a red card for handling an Osimhen shot way outside the box.
Uganda did manage to get one goal back late in the game when Rogers Mato scored from a nice pass by Allan Okello with 15 minutes left. Still, it wasn't enough to stop the Cranes, who had lost to Tunisia 3-1 and drawn with Tanzania 1-1, from finishing last in the group and going home early with just one point.
In Rabat, Ismael Gharbi scored a penalty for Tunisia in the first half, but Feisal Salum evened it up for Tanzania after halftime. This 1-1 draw sent Tanzania to the AFCON knockout stage for the first time in their fourth try.
The Taifa Stars, who have never won a game in the competition, ended up with the same points and goal difference as Angola in Group B. They got the edge as one of the best third-place teams because they had scored one more goal.
Next, they will face the tough task of playing the host team, Morocco, in Rabat on Sunday night.
Tunisia, meanwhile, took second place in Group C behind Nigeria and will play Mali, who finished second in Group A, in Casablanca on Saturday night.
Who will Nigeria play in the AFCON last 16
Since Angola is out, Nigeria will play one of the third-place teams from Group F in the next round of AFCON, back at the Fez Stadium on Monday night (January 5).
It's probably going to be either Cameroon or Mozambique, who will play each other in Agadir on Wednesday night.
Mozambique is currently in third place after their big 3-2 win over Gabon on Sunday, one point ahead of Cameroon, though Cameroon's goal difference is one goal better.
The current champions, Ivory Coast, are leading Group F before their game against Gabon in Marrakesh, who are already out. It's still possible for them to end up in third place, but it doesn't look likely.
Mozambique will finish third if they draw with or lose to Cameroon, who were beaten 2-0 by Nigeria in the last 16.
If Nigeria wins their first knockout game, it could face Algeria, the 2019 winners, in the quarter-finals.
CAPTAIN WILFRED NDIDI SUSPENDED AS NIGERIA PREPARE FOR MASSIVE MOROCCO SEMI-FINAL
Nigeria faces Morocco in a high-stakes AFCON semi-final! With Ndidi out, can Osimhen and Lookman lead the Eagles to the final?
Nobody really expected Nigeria to make it this far. After those rough World Cup qualifier results, most people just wrote them off. But honestly, that disappointment seems to have lit a fire under the Super Eagles. Now they’re flying—still the only team left in the tournament with a perfect record, fresh off a 2–0 win over Algeria in the quarter-finals.
Head coach Eric Chelle keeps saying his players finally get what he wants from them tactically, and it shows. If they win the semi-final, Nigeria heads to their ninth AFCON final—and their second in a row.
But it won’t be easy. They’re facing a team that’s beaten them three out of the last four times at this stage. Chelle needs his goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, to keep his head and not get caught up in the drama, especially with the crowd likely to be hostile. Even though laser pointers are banned, you know how these things go.
At the back, Calvin Bassey from Fulham has really stepped up since William Troost-Ekong suddenly retired. He’s formed a solid partnership with Semi Ajayi. Bruno Onyemaechi has made the left-back spot his own.
They’re still waiting to see if Bright Osayi-Samuel will be fit after he had to come off against Algeria. Early signs look good, though, so he could be ready to face Morocco.
Midfield’s a bit tricky now that captain Wilfred Ndidi is suspended after picking up four yellow cards. But Raphael Onyedika, who’s already scored twice in this tournament, looks set to slot in next to Frank Onyeka and a fired-up Alex Iwobi. Both Onyeka and Iwobi have seriously raised their game over the last few matches.
Up front, Nigeria looks as dangerous as ever. Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen—both former African Footballers of the Year—are flanking Akor Adams. The three of them have combined for 17 goals and assists in just five matches, which is pretty incredible.
Probable lineup for Nigeria:
Nwabali; Osayi-Samuel, Ajayi, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Onyeka, Onyedika, Iwobi; Lookman, Adams, Osimhen
TITLE HOPES VANISH: CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES BUT AL NASSR COLLAPSE IN 3-1 DERBY DEFEAT
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 16th goal of the season was cancelled out by a disastrous second half as 10-man Al Nassr lost 3-1 to Al Hilal.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia just keeps getting tougher. Al Nassr blew a one-goal lead and lost 3-1 to Al Hilal, which probably kills off any lingering hope they had of winning the league this season. Ronaldo did his part—he scored right before halftime—but the second half was a disaster. It’s been three years since Ronaldo moved to the Middle East, and he still hasn’t picked up any major trophies. Now, after 14 games, Al Nassr trails Al Hilal by seven points.
Things just keep getting worse for Al Nassr. Not long after a rough home defeat to Al Qadsiah, they faced Al Hilal, who sit atop the table. In the first half, Al Nassr actually looked sharp, creating six chances to Al Hilal’s single shot. Kingsley Coman and Ronaldo both looked lively, and it was the 40-year-old who struck first, lashing in his 16th goal of the season after a slick pass from Coman in the 42nd minute.
But then it all unravelled almost instantly after the break. Mohamed Simakan tripped Malcom in the box, and Salem Al Dawsari smashed home the penalty in the 57th minute. Moments later, chaos—Al Hilal’s Ruben Neves went down holding his face after clashing with keeper Nawaf Al Aqidi. The referee showed Al Aqidi a yellow, but VAR changed it to red for violent conduct, which left Al Nassr a man down for the last half hour.
With nine minutes left, Mohamed Kanno pounced and finished from close range, piling on the misery. Just to make things worse, Neves slotted home a penalty in stoppage time after Ali Al Hassan fouled Al Dawsari. That’s three straight losses for Al Nassr now. Their last win? Way back on December 27.
As for the standout, Ruben Neves was everywhere. He set up Kanno’s goal, drew the red card that changed the game, and then scored the final penalty himself. Al-Dawsari and Kanno got the goals that mattered, but Neves was the difference.
And the biggest culprit? Keeper Nawaf Al Aqidi. Sure, Simakan and Al Hassan gave away penalties, but Al Aqidi’s reckless red card was the turning point. With mistakes like that, it’s hard to see Ronaldo and Al Nassr clawing their way back into the title race.
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