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SO, it will be Mozambique, after all. Following a dramatic conclusion to the first round of matches at the 2025 AFCON here in Morocco, it is the Mambas of Mozambique that Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face in the Round of 16 on Monday, 5 January 2026, here in Fez.
Eagles Coach Eric Chelle had hinted in his last press conference that it might be Mozambique, but it wasn’t confirmed as at then. Going into the last pair of matches in Group F, Côte d’Ivoire (4points), Cameroun (4points), and Mozambique (3points) all were still in contention to finish top of the group. Chelle speculated on meeting Mozambique because they were sitting third on the group table, but they nearly didn’t finish there.
When Mozambique went 1-0 up against Cameroun and Côte d’Ivoire fell 2-0 behind to Gabon in the early stages of their respective final group matches that were played simultaneously, Mozambique were temporarily topping the group with six points, Cameroun were second and Côte d’Ivoire were in third place with the AFCON defending champions heading for a sudden mouth-watering clash with the Super Eagles in the next round. But, by the final whistle, the Elephants had turned their 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 win over Gabon, while Cameroon also reversed their 0-1 setback into a 2-1 win over Mozambique. The South-eastern Africans ended back in third place and will face the Super Eagles next. Eric Chelle’s speculation had come to pass.
Mozambique are no stranger to Nigeria. Both countries have met on five previous occasions, with the Super Eagles dominating their head-to-head with four wins and one draw. The Mambas are still looking for their first win against Nigeria. Bookmakers do not expect them to get it at this AFCON.
However, Mozambique have already made history for themselves at this tournament. In 17 matches played in five previous appearances at the AFCON (1986, 1996, 1998, 2010, and 2023), they had never won a single game until they defeated Gabon 3-2 in this year’s tournament. And while they never went beyond the first round in all those five previous appearances, they have made it to round two for the first time here in Morocco. AFCON 2025 has already been a success for Mozambique, but they will want more.
Standing in their way is Nigeria. The only time both teams met at the AFCON finals in Angola 2010, the Super Eagles, coached by Shaibu Amodu, ran out comprehensive 3-0 winners. Peter Odemwingie scored twice, and Obafemi Martins wrapped up the win as Nigeria advanced to the quarterfinals. It’s another quarterfinal ticket that is at stake in Fez on Monday, and the Eagles are favourites to grab it.
It won’t come easy, however. Aside from Mozambique’s historic win over Gabon in their group this year, they competed impressively in their two other matches against Côte d’Ivoire before losing narrowly 1-0, and they actually took the lead against Cameroun before losing 2-1. Their star player is Gene Catamo, who is a regular with Sporting Lisbon of Portugal. He scored a penalty in the 3-2 win over Gabon and stunned Cameroon with a left-foot curler into the bottom corner before the Indomitable Lions fought back to win. Nigeria will have to watch him closely.
During Nigeria’s penultimate press conference before our last group match against Uganda, Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi was asked how the team was preparing for the next round since they had already secured their passage even before the Uganda game. Ndidi responded rightly at the time that they were “focused on the next game and not the next round.” Well, that next game (versus Uganda) is behind them now, and full attention turns to the next round. Good luck, Super Eagles.
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From “Paracetamol” to “Mambas”
*ANIMAL PLANET is one of my favourite channels on payTV, and I love watching the “Big Five” (Elephants, Rhinos, Lions, Leopards and Buffalo) in their natural habitat. Mozambique’s national parks are home to these animals, and I wonder why they have chosen a snake, the Mamba, as the nickname of their national team instead of any of the Big Five.
A quick check on AI provided the answer: “Mozambique’s national football team is nicknamed ‘Os Mambas’ (The Mambas) because the venomous black mamba snake symbolizes the team’s speed, agility, and dangerous, potent threat to opponents in football matches, much like the snake’s deadly bite. The nickname reflects the feat and respect the team aims to command, embodying a powerful, swift, and lethal presence on the field according to FIFA.com, FIFA, and All Football.”
The most interesting part of my findings, however, is that the Mambas were once known as “Paracetamol” (a headache pill) due to their early struggles as a football team. They were previously giving their fans a lot of headaches with poor performances and results, so the fans derisively nicknamed them “Paracetamol.” But now, the only people that Mozambique want to cause a headache are the Super Eagles, whose coach, Eric Chelle, says he already has a ‘good headache’ with his team selection.
We wait to see how the Eagle will strike the Mamba.
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Nigeria vs Mozambique in History
17 August 1999: Mozambique 0-1 Nigeria (International Friendly: Maputo).
29 March 2009: Mozambique 0-0 Nigeria (World Cup qualifier, Maputo).
11 October 2009: Nigeria 1-0 Mozambique (World Cup qualifier, Abuja)
20 January, 2010: Mozambique 0-3 Nigeria (AFCON: Lubango, Angola)
16 October 2023: Mozambique 2-3 Nigeria (International Friendly, Lisbon).
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The Heavyweights Go Through
*ALL the top and second seeds in all six first-round groups at AFCON 2025 made it through to the Round of 16. Morocco and Mali in Group A; Egypt and South Africa in Group B; Nigeria and Tunisia in Group C; Senegal and Democratic Republic of Congo in Group D; Algeria and Burkina Faso in Group E; Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroun in Group F.
It was amongst the four best third-placed teams that we saw a few surprises, Tanzania, Benin Republic, Sudan, and Mozambique snatching the backdoor tickets ahead of the more illustrious Angola, Zimbabwe, and former champions Zambia.
The Round of 16 fixtures are very tantalizing, with the picks of the pack, based on the performances of the teams in the group stages, being South Africa versus Cameroon and Algeria versus DR Congo. Here are the full fixtures……
Senegal versus Sudan; Mali versus Tunisia; Morocco versus Tanzania; South Africa versus Cameroon; Egypt versus Benin Republic; Nigeria versus Mozambique; Algeria versus DR Congo; Côte d’Ivoire versus Burkina Faso.
Mr.ChefNigeria says it’s knockout football from this stage on. Error margin is zero!
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