Algerian players, officials shocked Les Fennecs lost to Nigeria
Algeria’s forward Yacine Brahimi (L) challenges Nigeria’s defender Kenneth Omeruo during the 2018 FIFA World Cup African zone group B qualifying football match between Nigeria and Algeria at the Akwa Ibom State Stadium in Uyo on November 12, 2016.<br />PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP
They came into Nigeria flashing their credential as the third best team in Africa. The team that had never lost a qualifier since the Brazil 2014 World Cup did not believe that ‘lowly’ Nigeria, which did not even qualify for the African Nations Cup, could stand on the same pedestal with the mighty Desert Foxes.
And so to them, the 1-3 bashing they got on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, which is also known as the Nest of Champions, defies logic. They still have not come to terms with the reality of defeat.
Reacting to the rude awakening they had in Nigeria, Algeria FA President, Mohamed Raouraoua, said defeat was not what they bargained for, adding that the result has now made qualification for the 2018 World Cup complicated.
Awed by what he saw of the Super Eagles, Raouraoua said, “We lost to a very good, organised team from Nigeria, but we had several chances to score, especially in the great second half.
“In football, you can’t win if you miss at least five clear chances to score. We lost the match we should not have lost because of this.”
To Algerian Captain, Carl Medjani, the defeat does not mean Nigeria has a better team, even though he acknowledges that the Russia 2018 World Cup qualification could be beyond them.
“We’re disappointed to lose but we’re not giving up just yet. But it is not a good situation for us because we got only one point from our first two games, but we still have enough games left to catch up.
“We play Zambia next and we can start recovering with that game.”
Coach Georges Leekens attributes Algeria’s loss to the destabilizing effects of Kelechi Iheanacho’s runs, which paved the way for Victor Moses to wreak havoc on his team.
He said, “Iheanacho was full of running and my defenders couldn’t handle him. The space he created by dragging them was what allowed Victor Moses the chance to score twice.
“We knew the threat of Nigeria going forward, so we should have defended better especially in our box. We have seen our mistakes and we will hopefully correct them before our next game.”
Saturday’s win means Nigeria will qualify for the World Cup with two more victories out of the four remaining games against Cameroun (home and away), Zambia (home) and Algeria (away). That would give the Super Eagles an unassailable 12 points.
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6 Comments
Saturday’s win means Nigeria will qualify for the World Cup with two more victories out of the four remaining games against Cameroun (home and away), Zambia (home) and Algeria (away). That would give the Super Eagles an unassailable 12 points.
The Guardian, this is a wrong assertion please. Nigeria is leading only with 4 points. Take 4 points from maximum 18 points, you are left with 14 points, so to claim that Nigeria will qualify with two more victories as the result stands now is wrong. Please don’t distract the team. For now as the results and points stand Nigeria needs three more victories to be there.If along the line things work further in favour of Nigeria,say the gap widens to 6 points you can lay such claims.
The next games will determine
The reporter is right, the eagles has 6 points and another six would put them beyond the reach of the other teams in the group. There is a total of 24 points between the four teams.
Algeria has 1 point as at now so what if they win Zambia (both home and away 6points), then win Cameroun away (3points) and win Nigeria home (3points). That means they will have 13 points which will be bigger than the 12 points Guardian said is enough for qualification.
12 points aren’t a guarantee to put Nigeria thru, but it’s incredibly likely since to be beaten at that point a member of this group has to win 4 straight and every other team has already dropped points at home. To be completely safe, Nigeria needs to win the rest of their home matches and get one or two more results away.
You are very correct. Even though I am a female, I like soccer and show deep interest in the game. We need at least 7 points from the remaining 12 points to secure our qualification. To do this, the coaching crew should take one game at a time, focusing on our next game against the wounded Cameroonians. I believe, however, that the Super Eagles can win their remaining matches if the Eagles’ defense is tightened and our goalkeeper stay focused. He was out of position in the 25 yards’ goal scored by the Algerians.
We will review and take appropriate action.