Nigeria With just a die minute as it is always called, A Powerful Free kick from the Algeria side was netted.
Nigeria 1: Algeria 2
Nigeria is to face Tunisia in the Third place clamp down.
Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo has said that Gernot Rohr’s men were unlucky to have lost to Algeria at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, semi-final on Sunday.
The Shanghai Shenhua star said that the Super Eagles deserved to get more from the match against the Desert Foxes at the Cairo International Stadium.
Algeria took the lead in the first half, no thanks to a William Troost-Ekong own goal.
The Super Eagles levelled in the second half, after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision, with Odion Ighalo stroking home the penalty.
With the match heading into extra time, Riyad Mahrez stepped up and spanked a free-kick past Daniel Akpeyi to send his side into the final.
Addressing reporters in a post-match interview, Ighalo said: “It was a difficult game and we were unlucky at the last minute because in the second half we really played well and we deserved more than what we got today.
“But this is football. They got a free kick in the last minute and they scored and the game finished.”
Nigeria will now tackle Tunisia for the third-place match on Wednesday.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations final, following their 2-1 defeat to Algeria on Sunday night.
The Eagles had drawn level thanks to Odion Ighalo’s penalty, following William Troost-Ekong’s unfortunate own goal.
But Riyad Mahrez stepped up and curled a wonderful free-kick in the 94th minute, to secure his country’s place in the final against Senegal this Friday.
So, what are the five things we learnt from the game?
1. Akpeyi, again: For so long, Akpeyi has gotten away with it. But when it really mattered, he didn’t cover himself with glory. The Kaizer Chiefs’ goalkeeper did not set his wall up for that Mahrez and his position was suspect. Not saying he was responsible for the loss. But this game should have at least gone into extra time.
2. Argentina carbon copy: Watching the game against Algeria, Nigerians could be forgiven for having flashbacks to the last group fixture at the 2018 World Cup against Argentina. At 1-1, anything was possible. But the players and coach conspired to throw it away with their slackness and lack of reaction respectively.
3. Dodgy subs: Although, he was double-marked most of the time, Chukwueze was the better wide player for the Eagles. But when Rohr had to make a change, it wasn’t the ineffective Musa that came out. Onyekuru, who came on, hardly had time to influence the game. Also, maybe an extra body in midfielder would have helped stem the late onslaught.
4. Deserved winners: Make no mistakes. This was not a close encounter as suggested by the final scoreline. The Algerians were by far a superior team to the Super Eagles. Ighalo’s equalizer came out of nowhere and breathed excitement into the game. But the Desert Foxes deservedly won it.
5. What next? A third-place playoff. Rohr should be looking to win that game, so that the team does not leave Egypt empty-handed. After then, can he now begin a post mortem of Nigeria’s outing at the competition? It however remains to be seen if he will still be in the job for much longer.
Nigeria will be the country with the most third-place wins at the Africa Cup of Nations, if they defeat Tunisia on Wednesday, extending a record they already hold.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the final, following a 2-1 defeat to Algeria on Sunday night.
Odion Ighalo’s penalty had made it 1-1, following William Troost-Ekong’s unfortunate own goal.
But Riyad Mahrez stepped up and curled a wonderful free-kick in the 94th minute, to secure his country’s place in the final against Senegal this Friday.
The three-time champions have already won bronze seven times before, three more than Ivory Coast in second place with four.
Nigeria – 7 times
Ivory Coast – 4 times
Egypt – 3 times
Zambia – 3 times
DR Congo – 2 times
Algeria – 2 times
Mali – 2 times
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco, Ethiopia, South Africa have all won it once.
Arsenal have hailed Alex Iwobi, as Super Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, final in Egypt.
Algeria had taken the lead in the first half of the match, following an own goal by William Troost-Ekong.
However, the Super Eagles levelled up after the centre referee awarded a penalty following VAR observation.
Nigeria will now battle Senegal for the third place of AFCON.
Reacting, Arsenal on their verified Twitter page sympathized with Iwobi, writing “We’re gutted for you, Alex Iwobi. But you’ve done us proud throughout #AFCON2019 .”
Algeria captain, Riyad Mahrez has disclosed that the biggest achievement of his career will be when his country wins this year’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Egypt after 29 years.
The Manchester City star noted that his target is to win the 2019 AFCON title at the end of the tournament in Egypt because it will be the most important thing in his career.
The winger stated this after helping the Desert Foxes to defeat Nigeria 2-1 at the AFCON semi-final on Sunday.
Algeria took the lead in the first half, no thanks to a William Troost-Ekong own goal.
The Super Eagles levelled in the second half, after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decision, with Odion Ighalo stroking home the penalty.
With the match heading into extra time, Riyad Mahrez stepped up and spanked a free-kick past Daniel Akpeyi to send his side into the final.
Speaking to reporters after the match, the former Leicester City star said: “It was a difficult game against a difficult opponent but we managed to qualify. We are happy we are making our people happy, we know they are behind us”.
“My goal is to win the title. It’s the most important in my career and we will do our best towards it.”
Algeria will now tackle Senegal in the AFCON final on Friday.