If history is what wins a match Nigeria should be announced as the third best team at the ongoing Nations Cup in Angola.
The last but one match of the 27th Orange CAF Nations Cup will be played Saturday at Benguela between Nigeria and Algeria, both teams lost out in the Semi-finals to Ghana and Egypt respectively.
The two countries have met before in two Nations Cup finals. First time in 1980 in Lagos with the Green Eagles emerging victorious, and the second time ten years after in Algiers with the Fennecs revenging through a 1-0 score line.
Today they will be meeting at a neutral ground. However, a classification match is always one of less importance between two teams that believe they should have been in the final.
Nigeria emerge as a specialist of the third place match, of which they have always won any time the opportunity arose. In 1976 after the last match against Egypt ( the only edition that was played in two rounds with four teams in the final) in 1978,against Tunisia, in 2002 and 2004 against Mali believing that the present team will not mind following in the footsteps of their predecessors if not for the consolation that they could still be found worthy of representing Africa at the World Cup.
Algeria will be left depleted after the expulsion of three of her regulars in the semi final against EgyptL, Halliche, Belhadj and the goalkeeper Chaouchi.
These two teams that have not really been on top of their game in this competition, in what physical and mental state of mind will they be for this match? What changes will the coaches make, tradition demands that the coach gives an opportunity to those who did not play during the competition.
It is the wish of organisers that the match be of high quality, epitomised with the winning of a medal, yet there will be no victor no vanquished in a match in which the teams will spend time remembering the semi final ouster.