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MATCHDAY! Super Eagles gun for 8th AFCON bronze in Tunisia duel
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will today (Wednesday) take on the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the third place playoff of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Eagles failed to reach the final of the Egypt tournament after losing 2-1 to Algeria in the last four.
Tunisia battled the Terenga Lions of Senegal at the same stage and were unlucky to have conceded an own goal in extra time after a goalless 100 minutes.
Both sides will go head to head in Cairo, as they each seek to end their campaign on a high note.
The Super Eagles have never been beaten in a third place match since their debut in the tournament in 1963.
The last time Nigeria played Tunisia in a third-place playoff was in 1978, when the Eagles won 2-0.
Read Also: Seedorf, Kluivert sacked by Cameroon after ‘premature’ AFCON exit
The three-time African champions have won the Bronze medal a record number of 7 times, and will be gunning for their 8th bronze title.
“We are motivated for the game. We consider it as a top priority to finish the competition on a winning note. We hope to be able to end without any injuries,” Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr told a news conference on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there have been campaigns in some quarters for the sack of Rohr. But the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had vowed to let the Franco-German gaffer keep his job.
Speaking about his future, however, Rohr said: “For now, we have a match to play on Wednesday. It is important to finish the competition on a high. After the game tomorrow, I will come out with a statement on my future.
On his part, Tunisia boss, Alain Giresse told reporters at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo: “Our target was more than just reaching the semifinal. But now we focus on the game against Nigeria and hope to win third place.”
The match is billed to kickoff 8:00p.m Nigeria time.
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