- 2019 AFCON Third Place Playoff | Wednesday, 17th July
- Nigeria Vs Tunisia
- At Al Salam Stadium, Cairo (10:00 PM, EAT)
It has never been easy for teams to square off in a third-place play-off match at a championship.
Tunisia and Nigeria fall under the same bracket as they lock horns in a third-place playoff duel on Wednesday (17 July 2019) Al Salam Stadium, in Cairo.
For starters, Tunisia fell 1-0 to Senegal after extra-time at the 30th June Stadium, Cairo.
Nigeria lost 1-2 to Algeria in the semifinal at the Cairo International Stadium, Cairo.
Tunisia had reached the semifinal for the first time since winning the title at home in 2004, having beaten Madagascar 3-0 for their outright victory in open play.
The North Africans registered three draws in the three group stage matches, drawing one all with Angola and Mali.
They also played to a goalless against Mauritania.
In the Round of 16, they eliminated Ghana in post-match penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Three-time champions Nigeria outwitted newcomers Burundi 1-0.
They won 2-0 over Guinea and lost to the flamboyant debutants Madagascar 2-0.
Nigeria then defeated titleholders Cameroon 3-2 in the Round of 16.
During the quarterfinals, they defeated South Africa 2-1 and bowed in the semifinals to Algeria 2-1.
The Super Eagles will now take on Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles in the battle for third place that is rewarded by a bronze medal.
This game could also provide a plat for players with personal ambitions to be fulfilled.
A case in point is Nigerian Jude Odion Ighalo who has four goals and would love to seal the top scorers’ gong at the tournament before Friday’s finale between Senegal and Algeria.
Also, the two respective coaches could alternate the matchday teams to grant playing time to players who had been rarely used at the championship.
Quotes:
We will keep focused in the third place playoff and hope to sign off with a happy result. I worked in Tunisia but on the pitch this means nothing. Both teams have similar ambitions and many young players who would like to win. Alain Giresse is an experienced coach and I’m always happy to play against him. When you are one of the four best teams in the continent this is a good result and we have to build on it. This is a team with brilliant future.
Gernot Rohr, Head Coach, Nigeria
Our target was more than just reaching the semifinal. But now we focus in the game against Nigeria and hope to win the third place. I believe this is going to be a psychologically tough encounter because we are not over that defeat from Senegal yet. I cannot say all our players are fit after playing two extra times but we will do our best. This is football and we understand the whole team disappointment. But we have to forget that and focus on Nigeria game.
Alain Giresse, Head Coach, Tunisia
