Victory over another South American side, Venezuela in a friendly in
Miami, USA in November will ginger African champions Nigeria as they
take on Uruguay in their second match of the FIFA Confederations Cup
tournament on Thursday.
Nigeria and Uruguay have never met at full international level. Both
countries realize they have to take something out of their clash at
the Arena Fonte Nova, making Thursday’s
game something to anticipate
for football followers around the universe.
Argentina and Venezuela are the only South American countries that
Nigeria had beaten previously, but Coach Stephen Keshi says his
players are history-makers and have the confidence to pick maximum
points in Salvador.
The Eagles have lost a brace of friendly matches 0-1 to Colombia (1994
and 2008), lost by the same scoreline to the Colombians at the US Gold
Cup in June 1995 and fell 1-3 to Paraguay at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
in France, before drawing 1-1 with the Paraguayans in a friendly in
London four years later.
Brazil, five-time world champions, hit the Eagles 3-0 in a friendly in
Abuja in June 2003, and two-time world champions Argentina narrowly
edged three previous clashes at the FIFA World Cup, in 1994, 2002 and
2010. Nigeria also lost 0-1 to Peru in a friendly in Lima last year,
but secured a 2-2 draw with Ecuador at the LG Cup tournament in Libya
in October 2004.
However, the Eagles are two-wins-out-of-two against Venezuela,
following a 1-0 defeat in a friendly in London in July 2003 and the
sweet 3-1 thumping in America seven months ago.
On the first day of June, 2011 in a friendly match was dubbed Guinness
The Match, Nigeria triumphed elegantly 4-1 against the Argentines at
the National Stadium, Abuja. The Argies won 3-1 in a rematch in
Bangladesh three months later.
The La Celeste are up against a mountain though, with confidence
sky-high in the camp of the African champions. Nigeria is one of only
two countries never to have lost a FIFA Confederations Cup match in
normal time.
Additionally, the Super Eagles have never lost a competitive match
since Stephen Keshi stepped into the saddle 19 months ago.
And they swung onto a fine start with a 6-1 win over Tahiti that has
lifted them above every other team at the tournament.
“We’re on a good swing and the mood is great,” Keshi said in Salvador
on Wednesday. “There’s nothing to be apprehensive about. We have no
injury worries and the boys will simply go in there and give their
best for country and continent.”
Victory over Uruguay will lift Nigeria to six points and all but
assure a place in the tournament semi finals, ahead of the crunchy tie
with Spain in Fortaleza on Sunday.
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