Kelvin Bowoto
The recurrent football rivalry between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and their Ghanaian counterparts, the Black Stars, will be renewed when the two West African powerhouses face off in the bustling Moroccan city of Marrakech today in the latest dominance clash. It is the first time either nation has played football since suffering heartbreak at the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire, albeit at various stages of the competition.
The Super Eagles were defeated in the final by hosts Cote d’Ivoire, while the Black Stars were eliminated from the continental competition in the group stage and were forced to fire their coach, Chris Hughton, who has been replaced on an interim basis by the team’s manager, Otto Addo. Nigeria may have finished second at the AFCON, but this will be the first time the Super Eagles have faced Ghana’s Black Stars since they were denied a ticket to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Nigeria will be without their star player, Victor Osimhen, and their captain, Williams Troost-Ekong, while Ghana will be without West Ham attacker Mohammed Kudus.
Speaking prior to the match, Super Eagles interim coach Finidi George stated that the Eagles are currently in a high position in African football, having finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, and that all must be done to retain and even improve that standing.
“We finished second in the Africa Cup of Nations, and everyone expects us to keep that high rating and improve even further in the near future. Our goal is to produce excellent results in these two games and be positive heading into the World Cup qualifiers.
- ATTENTION: Techrectory gives ₦5,000 monthly to our top readers, CLICK HERE to become a winner.
“They call it friendly matches, but there’s nothing pleasant about playing, especially against Ghana. Since the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal, I’ve competed in matches against Ghana. Matches between our countries are significant duels that our people view as conflicts. The Black Stars did not play well at the previous Africa Cup of Nations, and they will be eager to erase that memory,” Finidi stated.
Head-to-head
Despite having seven times the population of Ghana, Nigeria has always found the former Ghana a tough nut to crack in football.
The Black Stars have had perhaps more success in football than Nigeria, making this encounter anything but easy for the Eagles. The Africa Cup of Nations has been won by the Black Stars four times, one more than the Super Eagles.
Ghana has competed in the FIFA World Cup four times, reaching the quarterfinals in 2010. Nigeria, on the other hand, has never progressed beyond the second round of the Mundial.
Ghana also has an advantage in direct confrontations, having defeated Nigeria 22 times and losing only 11 of their 53 games since their first meeting in 1950.
No other country has defeated Nigeria more times than Ghana, and the Eagles’ 78 goals conceded against the Black Stars are the most of any opposition they have ever faced.
The last time these two nations met, Ghana celebrated after qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at the expense of Nigeria.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
