By Victor Enyinnaya on January 23, 2022

As the round of 16 matches in the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations football summit in Cameroon continues the match between Nigeria and Tunisia have taken the shine off all other games due to the pedigree of both countries in the round leather sport.

The confrontation is already intense as the tension has reached a feverish height among fans, bookmakers, football analysts who are divided along the lines. It is one game that has dwarfed all others and one hopes that it would leave up to its billing. Nigeria must not give the North African any breathing space in the now or never game kicking off 8pm Nigerian time.

Though the match is anticipated to be a choking one for both countries but who amongst both applies quick silver like strategy would carry the day. It will be crunchy and would also witness less chances and little space for each other to operate so more of imaginativeness by Eguaveon led Nigerian coaching crew would matter a lot in this make or break encounter of wits and brawns. The questions on the lips of many bookmakers’ fans and experts have been divided as the ground is so slippery where the pendulum would swing to. As both teams seek quarter-final bath.

No doubt the game will be high technical and tactical in every sense of the word if the anticipation of fans, bookmakers and analysts are anything to rely upon.

The match will be a very difficult one as the watch word for both benches. The talk of the town game that has been trending heavily on the social media no doubt would get considerable attention around the World.

It an obvious titanic battle to watch on one believes that both coaches would give space for the game to follow. The truth is that both teams will go all out for a pound of flesh as there will be no tomorrow after today’s encounter. A winner must emerge and the loser goes home. Already Nigeria’s interim coach, Austin Eguaveon has emphatically said that he would take today’s game as final, that picture shows the mood of the game in Nigerian context. The former international spoke the mind of Nigerians that are eager to go pass this stage.

Obviously Egu would strictly instruct his boys to shoot on sight, attack from all angles and get the needed goals to advance. From Egueaveon’s declaration, it is clear Super Eagles lads will fire from all cylinders to get the tough going as soon as the referee signals proceedings.

One hopes also Eguaveon would employ superior match plan that would stampede the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia. Such step would be the beginning of better game and one also prayers that the boys are as fit as fiddle and come with bold statement as was the case against Egypt in the group stage.

However, as the Nigerian team is preparing earnestly so also the North Africans are no leaving any stone unturned to get past the three time winners of Africa’s most cherished football tournament. It would be recalled that the Carthage Eagles won the AFCON once in 2004 and is no superior to the Super Eagles so far this tournament is concerned.

It won’t be a tea party as Tunisia’s head coach, Mondher Kebaier talking tough insisting that his country would qualify to the quarter-final turning Nigeria back despite the giant West African’s country’s huge and sterling five star performance in the group stage of the champ in Cameroon.

He was quoted to have acknowledged that Nigeria is tough and strong but quickly added that Tunisia is also tough and strong side too.

Despite the fact that Tunisia qualified as best loser from group F justifying his optimism on the premise on the fact that kid wizard deadly player in Carthage Eagles line up Wahbi  Khazri to do the yeo man’s job as he has been doing for his team. 

Nigeria is going into today’s round of 16 game against Tunisia on strong note. The players have also vowed they are ready to die fighting which must guarantee the Nigerian quarter-final ticket haven come thus far. However, feelers from their camp in Garouna, Cameroon described the mood and spirit as high, focused, concentrated roaring to deal with their Carthage Eagles counterparts.

No doubt the dice is cast; the fittest and more vigilant would claim victory over the other. Fly Eagles, Fly Super Eagles!!

•PHOTO: The Super Eagles

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 23, 2022

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