Super Eagles to play their 50th World Cup home match against Algeria

The Super Eagles will be playing their 50th World Cup qualifying home matches when they take on the Fennecs of Algeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo next week Saturday.

In their previous 49 home matches, the Eagles had won 39 and drawn seven, while losing three.

The first home match for Nigeria was on September 10, 1960, when they tied 2-2 with Ghana’s Black Stars in Lagos. The team had earlier lost the first leg 4-1 to the Ghanaians in Accra and crashed out of the race to the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile.

The last was against the Sihlangu of Swaziland at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt on November 17, 2015, in the preliminary round for Russia 2018. Nigeria won 2-0 courtesy of goals by Moses Simon and Efe Ambrose, following a 0-0 draw in Lobamba four days earlier.

The six other drawn matches were against Cameroon on December 7, 1968 (1-1 in Lagos); against Sudan on September 13,  1969 (2-2 in Ibadan), against Tanzania on December 6, 1980 (1-1 in Lagos); against Angola on June 18, 2005 (1-1 in Kano), against Tunisia on September 6,  2009 (2-2 in Abuja) and against Kenya on March 23, 2013, (1-1 in Calabar).

The Super Eagles’ three losses were against Ghana on February 10, 1973 (the Black Stars were leading 3-2 in Lagos when the match was abandoned, FIFA awarded it 2-0 to Ghana);, against Tunisia on November 12, 1977 in Lagos (1-0 through a first half own goal by defender Godwin Odiye) and against Algeria on October 10, 1981 (2-0 in Lagos).

However, the Super Eagles have never lost a World Cup qualifying home match played outside Lagos. In fact, the only times they have failed to win a World Cup qualifying home match away from Lagos was against Sudan (2-2 in Ibadan in 1969); against Angola (1-1 in Kano in 2005); against Tunisia (2-2 in Abuja in 2009) and against Kenya (1-1 in Calabar in 2013).