By Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line
…Nigeria’s Uche Helps Uganda Get a Good 1-1 Draw against Tanzania
IT IS often said when two Eagles meet in battles, the less powerful and skillful one must bow as the Super Eagles of Nigeria forced the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia to bow 3-2 in a vital Group C second round match in Fez, Morocco on Saturday night.
Nigeria played a highly tactical game in the first half running rings around the Tunisian defence line while the Tunisians waited like a patient Vulture for fast break to pull off feathers from the Nigerians, but Ademola Lookman collected a lob from the left flank and floated it into the box for Victor Osimhen to jump higher and nod home at the 44th minute.
Nigeria shone like the Northern star unlike past matches as New Captain Wilfred Ndidi who always love to use his height to nod home corner kick in swingers did get a goal that way in the 50th minute 2-0 to Nigeria.
Victor Osimhen who was the target of football hacks as usual escaped dangerous legs and passed one to Ademola Lookman who converted it into the 3rd goal in the 67th minute thus securing Knockout phase ticket for Nigeria.
Nigeria however lost concentration forgetting you do not win a match until the last whistle is blown as enfant terrible to the Nigerian defence, Hannibal floated a kick into the Nigerian box and Montassar Taibi scored for Tunisia in the 74th minute.
Bright Osayi- Samuel who played well handled the ball in the box in the 84th minute and Tunisia got a VAR approved penalty scored by Ali Abdi in the 87th minute.
Nigeria and Tunisia had met for a good 21 times with Nigeria winning six times, Tunisia five times and ten draws. Nigeria ranked 38 in the world won the AFCON title three time and Tunisia ranked 41 in the world once.
The Ref of the Nigeria versus Tunisia match, Ref Traore Boubou of Mali seems to love flashing red cards as he flashed the red to Tunisia in the International friendly of 6th June 2025 which Morocco won 2-0; at the AFCO match of 18th January 2022 he gave Ghana the red card and Ghana lost to Comoros 2-3.
It was a pleasant drama as the bench got back the game for the Ugandan Cranes to draw 1-1 and a Nigerian gave Uganda the Naija magic through a header.
I saw Tanzania’s Baba Alhassan handle in the ball in the box but the Ref gave Tanzania a penalty which Simon Msuva scored beating Goalkeeper Denis Masinde Onyaguo neatly to score in the 59th minute.
The Ugandan coach made some changes in the second have off as two subs, Denis Omedi lobbed the ball into the box and Nigeria’s Uche Ikpeazu who plays in Scotland headed it home in the 80th minute for a much-coveted equalizer.
The duo that brought the Uganda equalizer has remarkable stories behind them for 30-year-old Uche was born in England to a Nigerian father and Ugandan mother.
Omedi trained actually as a medical Nursing official but worked as a Prison Guard in Uganda before football fame took him away from the tall walls.
Uganda played better having 14-11 shots at goal of which 9-2 were on target with 7-3 corner kicks and 57-43% ball possessions.
Uganda and Tanzania met twice at the 2023 AFCON qualifier with Tanzania winning away on 24th March 2023 by a lone goal and losing at home on 28th March 2023.
Nigeria topped group C with maximum six points scoring 5 goals and conceding 3; Tunisia looks good for the Knockout stages too with 3 points scoring 5 goals and conceding 4; Tanzania is 3rd with one point scoring 2 goals and conceding 3 while Uganda is at the bottom with one point scoring 2 goals but conceding 4 goals.
The last group games of Group C will be played simultaneously on Tuesday 30th December at 5pm Nigerian time with Uganda trying to stop the Super Eagles flight into the knockout staged and Tanzania’s Taifa Stars trying to shine more than the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
Second stage group matches end tomorrow when Gabon and Mozambique take to the pitch at 1:30pm in group F; Equatorial Guinea will tackle Sudan in group E at 4.00pm; Algeria and Burkina Faso will try superiority tricks on each other at 6:30 pm in group E before the star match of former champions Ivory Coast versus Cameroon at 9.00pm.
#AFCON25 #CAF #FRMC #FAF #ZIFA
#FAFA #EFA #NFF.
