Zambia vs Nigeria: Super Eagles have won 7 out of 17 meetings

By EDIALE KINGSLEY

NIGERIA began their campaign for a World Cup berth in Russia against Zambia this past Sunday with a win, in their first match in a group tagged ‘the group of death’. Other teams in the group also includes Algeria and Cameroon which does not give any room for the Super Eagles to take any of their matches for granted. In head-to-head meetings,( before the Sunday matches) both teams met 17 times with Nigeria having seven wins better than Zambia’s five, while five of their encounters have ended in stalemates.

Before the game on Sunday, The last time the Super Eagles won a match against the Chipolopolo was in a friendly at the Abuja National Stadium in 2011 under the tutelage of late Stephen Keshi as Nigeria were 2 0 victors. Zambia’s last win was in an international friendly in 1997 handing the Nigerian side a 2 0 defeat at the Independence Stadium, Lusaka while the last meeting against both teams was in the 2013 AFCON in South Africa where it ended 1—1. One of Nigeria’s most memorable win against the Zambians was a 2—1 victory in the Tunisia 94′ final where two Emmanuel Amunike’s goal got the better of Elijah Litanas’ as Super Eagles lifted the Nations Cup for a second time. Nigeria’s triumph at Tunisia 94′ was at the expense of Zambia. This Sunday’s match was the first acid test for the new coach Gernot Rohr after leading the Nigerian side to a 1—0 win over Tanzania in the last group match of AFCON 2017.

A combination of invited 23 players by the German technical adviser headed to Ndoli, venue of the Russia 2108 World Cup qualifier. Here is the head to head meeting between Nigeria/Zambia Matches played (before the last game): 16 Nigeria wins: 6 Zambia wins: 5 Matches drawn: 5 Last Super Eagles win: 2 0 (international friendly 2011) Last Chipolopolo win: 2 0 (international friendly 1997)

For the match, some Zambia players had to postpone their retirement from the national team. Zambia midfielder Chisamba Lungu has rescinded his decision to quit the Chipolopolo and has made himself available for the World Cup 2018 qualifier against Nigeria on October 9.

Chisamba who announced that he would rather not play for the Zambia national team after he was left on the bench in the game against Guinea Bissau was in the list of players released by new Chipolopolo coach Wedson Nyirenda last week to face the Super Eagles in Ndola.

The Russia-based player accepted the invitation to play against Nigeria this past Sunday. He could not disappoint his mentor and the new Chipolopolo coach.

“I looked at the bigger picture which is the nation. It is the country at stake not our personal egos. Whoever was called had to respond.

We are out of the Africa Cup, we have to make up for that. We needed to account for ourselves well and put up a good run in our campaign for the 2018 Russia World Cup,” the Ural midfielder told the Zambia Daily Mail.

Another midfielder Fwayo Tembo also reported for the national team camp after he had said he would not play for Zambia.

Tembo was around as Chiplopolo regrouped in Ndola and trained under the tutelage of Nyirenda for the first time since the coach was appointed.

The 16 local players called to camp were all available for yesterday’s match.