The Super Eagles of Nigeria are highly favoured to cruise over The Mambas of Mozambique in Monday’s round of 16 clash at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Sports247 reports that, unlike their last group match versus Uganda, when history favoured of the East Africans, Nigeria are all out favourites to win their next fixture in Morocco.
This is mostly due to the fact that they have won four of five previous meetings with the team from Maputo, and The Mambas reached the last 16 stage after placing third in their group.
Furthermore, the Eagles enacted a 100% scorecard during the group stage of this competition, while their opponents won a single game and lost their last clash against Cameroon despite scoring first.
Mozambique did put up a spirited battle against The Indomitable Lions, but they still lost at the end of the day, thereby leaving them with only two fresh records to cling unto ahead of their clash with Nigeria.
The milestones that Mozambique will flaunt against the Eagles in Monday’s knock-out game are their first ever AFCON win and reaching the second round for the first time, both of which pundits believe fall short of Nigeria’s pedigree.
A preview by the information department of the country’s football federation noted, “Of their five previous confrontations, Nigeria have been victorious on four occasions.
“(These include) their only AFCON encounter way back in Lubango, Angola in January 2010, in which the Eagles ran away with a 3-0 win.
“Nigeria won a friendly match in Maputo in August 1999 by the odd goal and won another one in Portugal in October 2023 by 3-2.
“(Their) 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches ended 0-0 in Maputo and 1-0 in Abuja, Obinna Nsofor scoring five minutes into added time to keep alive Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.”
HEAD TO HEAD
Aug 17th, 1999: Mozambique 0-1 Nigeria (International Friendly: Maputo)
Mar 29th, 2009: Mozambique 0-0 Nigeria (WCq: Maputo)
Oct 11th, 2009: Nigeria 1-0 Mozambique (WCq: Abuja)
Jan 20th, 2010: Mozambique 0-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Lubango, Angola)
Oct 16th, 2023: Mozambique 2-3 Nigeria (International Friendly: Lisbon)
