BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Both Nigeria and Zambia meet on Saturday in Uyo in what is easily the most important match for the two teams in the race to the Russia 2018 World Cup. Both need a win to remain in contention. A win for Nigeria guarantees outright qualification. A win by Zambia stretches the struggle to the last match day in November. The two teams are therefore under pressure more than they have been in the previous four match days.

Sports Village Square takes an insightful look at the make or mar encounter and comes out with the following points of interest.

• Saturday’s match will be Nigeria’s 103^rd World Cup qualifying match.
• The game will be Zambia’s 97^th World Cup qualifying match.
• Nigeria has had an unbeaten run of 33 matches in the World Cup qualifying series. This is the longest in Africa. Nigeria last lost a World Cup qualifying match in Luanda on June 20, 2004 when Angola had a 1-0 win in the race to Germany 2006.

• Both Nigeria and Zambia are English speaking and are former Africa Cup of Nations holders. Nigeria won thrice in 1980, 1994 and 2013. Zambia won once, in 2012.

Both teams played the final match of 1994 Africa Cup of Nations which Nigeria won by 2-1. When Elijah Litana scored for Zambia in the third minute, it was the first time Nigeria trailed in the entire tournament.  Emmanuel Amuneke equalized for Nigeria two minutes later before scoring the winner two minutes into the second half in what was his only match of the tournament.

Nigeria and Zambia contested the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations final match. Emmanuel Amuneke waltz past Zambia’s Harrison Chongo. Amuneke’s two goals earned Nigeria a 2-1 victory.

• Zambia became the first team to inflict a humiliating defeat on Nigeria after the 7-0 loss to the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1955. On July 15, 1973, barely six months after Nigeria won the gold medal of the football event of the All Africa Games, Zambia came from a goal down to beat Nigeria 5-1 in Lusaka in a 1974 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. It was the first ever encounter of both teams.
• Yakubu Mambo was not just the first scorer at the National Stadium, Lagos he was the first Nigerian player to score against Zambia. A feat he performed barely five minutes into the 1973 encounter which Nigeria eventually lost 1-5.

Record man, Yakubu Mambo became the first scorer against Zambia on July 15, 1973 in Lusaka

• Nigeria’s late midfield maestro, Muda Lawal was for a long time Nigeria’s most capped player. He had 86 caps. His last international outing was against Zambia in Lusaka on August 18, 1985.

Muda Lawal played his last international match against Zambia on August 18, 1985.

• Joseph Yobo equalled Muda Lawal’s 86 international appearances playing against Zambia on November 14, 2011 in a friendly match in Kaduna. Nigeria won the match 2-0.
• The late Stephen Keshi led Nigeria to 52 matches as a coach to both the frontline Super Eagles and the CHAN squad. In those matches he won 25 matches. Sports Village Square recalls that his first victory as a coach for Nigeria was the 2-0 defeat of Africa Cup of Nations-bound Zambia in Kaduna on November 14, 2011.
• Former Nigeria’s skipper. Joseph Yobo became the first Nigerian player to clock 100 international appearances. Sports Village Square recalls that his first international cap was against Zambia in Ndola on March 24, 2001. Nigeria drew the game 1-1.

• Joseph Yobo debuted for Nigeria in a match against Zambia in 2001. He also equalled Muda Lawal’s appearance record in another match with Zambia. 

• When Nigeria met Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first ever World Cup qualifying match pitching both teams.
• It was against Zambia that the Super Eagles played their last competitive match at the National Stadium, Lagos. That was the January 13, 2001 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in which Austin Okocha lost a penalty kick in the eventual 1-0 win.
• Alex Iwobi was a scoring debutant for Nigeria in the last match with Zambia in Ndola.
• Zambia eliminated Nigeria from the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya after a 3-0 defeat in which Nigeria needed a draw to advance,
• Nigeria eliminated Zambia in the semi finals of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria and also at the quarter final stage of the 2010 edition in Angola.
• Zambia eliminated Nigeria from qualifying for the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, Nigeria retaliated by preventing Zambia from getting to the 2002 edition in Mali.
• When Nigeria beat Zambia last year in Ndola, it was the first time Nigeria beat Zambia at home.
• Zambia have never beaten Nigeria at home.
• Nigeria used Zambia as stepping stones to win Africa Cup of Nations twice in 1994 and 2013.