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NIGERIA, ZAMBIA IN FINAL SHOWDOWN

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

When the Super Eagles take on Zambia in Uyo on Saturday, it will be the second time ever both sides are meeting in a World Cup qualifier even though the make-or-mar encounter will be their 19th confrontation.

The duel is the reciprocal of last year’s first ever clash of both teams in a World Cup qualifying match. Unlike the previous one which anniversary will be two days after the Uyo clash, this match carries greater weight as it may mark the end of the World Cup struggles in the Group B of African qualifying series.

A possible win by Nigeria sees the Super Eagles picking a World Cup ticket, even with a match to spare. The last time that happened was in the qualifiers for the France ’98.

For Zambia, hoping for a first ever World Cup appearance, it will be the end of yet another struggle. But a win still keep them in struggle, even if it means tying in points with Nigeria, leaving goal difference as possible decider as both would head to their last games against already eliminated pre-series powerhouses of Cameroon and Algeria.

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In that scenario, advantage sways more to Zambia’s favour having to play the last match at home against Cameroon which may not invest much in the encounter by inviting their legion of foreign stars.

Nigeria will then be away to Algeria, which has most of its national team players featuring in the domestic league and would therefore be available for a face-saving duel with Nigeria which will be banking on picking the World ticket in Algeria as it happened in 1993.

Another likely outcome in Saturday’s match is a draw which pushes both teams struggling till the last match day.

Should that be the case, Zambia will require a defeat of at least five goals against Cameroon next month and hope Nigeria drops all points in the match with Algeria. A draw will be sufficient for Nigeria in that scenario.

Zambia had always found Nigeria a hard nut to crack even though honours have almost been equally shared in encounters of both sides. In the 18 previous clashes Nigeria won seven while Zambia won five.

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Zambia’s most famous win against Nigeria was the 5-1 recorded 44 years ago in a 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Lusaka. That was barely nine months after Nigeria had picked the gold medal of the football event of the 2nd All Africa Games in Lagos.

Surprisingly, it was Nigeria that opened scoring in the encounter after five minutes. By half time, Nigeria had already conceded four goals. That remained Zambia’s only memorable win over Nigeria. They will need an encore of this to push the Super Eagles to the second position on the ladder, given the high goal difference advantage that Nigeria currently enjoys.

Sports Village Square recalls that Chipolopolo last beat Nigeria in a competitive game 32 years ago when a last minute goal in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier denied the Super Eagles an appearance at the 1986 finals edition.

The first leg in Lagos ended goalless and the return leg on August 18, 1985 appeared destined for the same score line and the tie would be broken by penalty kick. Then the unexpected happened.

Zambia’s swift right winger, Lucky Nsiska, living up to his first name, collected the ball few metres from Nigeria’s half of the field.

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He beat a Nigerian defender and sent another the wrong way with body swerve before setting a pass for a dashing Jack Chanda who put all strength in his right foot to fire a terrific shot past Goalkeeper Peter Rufai, almost on the dot of 90th minute.

Since that memorable loss, Nigeria have always had the edge over Zambia in subsequent encounters especially the 2-0 win in the 1990 Africa Cup semi final duel and the 2-1 recorded when Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in 1994.

 

 

NIGERIA VERSUS ZAMBIA: TALE OF THE TAPE

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                    P        W        D        L        F        A

Nigeria        18       7        7           5        18       21

Zambia       18      5        7           7        21      18

 

15 July 1973: Zambia 5 -1 Nigeria: 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

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29 Jul. 1973: Nigeria 3-2 Zambia: 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

14 Feb. 1976: Zambia 1-3 Nigeria Friendly match

10 Mar. 1978: Zambia 0-0 Nigeria: 1978 Africa Cup of Nations.

25 Jul. 1981: Zambia 3-0 Nigeria: Friendly Match

13 Mar. 1982: Zambia 3-0 Nigeria: 1982 Africa Cup of Nations.

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10 Aug. 1985: Nigeria 0-0 Zambia: 1986 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

18 Aug.1985: Zambia 1-0 Nigeria: 1986 Africa Cup of Nations.

12 Mar. 1990: Zambia 0-2 Nigeria: 1990 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.

10 April 1994: Zambia 1-2 Nigeria: 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final match.

15 Dec.  1997: Zambia 2-0 Nigeria: Friendly

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18 Dec.  1997: Zambia 0-0 Nigeria: Friendly

13 Jan. 2001: Nigeria 1-0 Zambia: 2002 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

24 Mar.2001: Zambia 1-1 Nigeria: 2002 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

6 Jan.2010: Zambia 0-0 Nigeria: Friendly

25 Jan.2010: Zambia 0-0 Nigeria *(3-4 penalties): 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter finals.

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14 Nov 2011: Nigeria 2-0 Zambia: Friendly match.

25 Jan. 2013: Zambia 1-1 Nigeria: 2013 Africa Cup of Nations

9 Oct. 2016: Zambia 1-2 Nigeria: 2018 World Cup qualifier

 

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

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Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.

Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.

FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.

Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.

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By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.

Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.

“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.

“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”

LONGER HALFTIMES

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Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.

“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.

“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”

The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.

“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.

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FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.

“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.

“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”

FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.

“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.

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“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.

-Reuters

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International Football

Former England and Man Utd midfielder Ince charged with drink-driving

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Championship - Norwich City v Reading - Carrow Road, Norwich, Britain - December 30, 2022, Reading manager Paul Ince applauds fans after the match Action Images/Matthew Childs/File Photo 

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.

Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.

“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.

“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”

Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.

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After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.

-Reuters

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From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro

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I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro

Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil. 

However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.

Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.

Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).

He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.

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His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.

These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people.  I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,”  he insists

The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius. 

“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.

‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”

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Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.

Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: I want to continue it.”

-Marca

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