Perennial favourites Nigeria tackle Tunisia of their opening Group B sport on the TotalEnergies Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2024, with the conflict set for the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday (kick-off 17:00 native time / 16:00 GMT).
This match marks the second assembly between Nigeria and Tunisia on the TotalEnergies Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The one earlier encounter between the 2 nations got here on the 2008 event, after they performed out a goalless draw of their second Group B sport in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.
In that 2008 version, Nigeria had drawn 1-1 with Ghana of their opening match, whereas Tunisia misplaced 2-1 to South Africa. Nigeria superior as group runners-up alongside South Africa, whereas Tunisia completed backside of the group.
This will probably be Nigeria’s seventh match in opposition to North African opposition at WAFCON. They continue to be unbeaten in open play (W4 D2).
Their solely defeat to a North African aspect got here by way of penalties on the 2022 finals, after a 1-1 draw with hosts Morocco within the semi-finals.
Nigeria start a WAFCON event in opposition to North African opposition for the third time. In earlier such openers, they beat Morocco 8-0 in 1998 and Algeria 4-0 in each 1998 and 2004.
Nigeria received their first 4 WAFCON video games in opposition to North African opponents earlier than drawing their final two–against Tunisia in 2008 and Morocco in 2022.
In six WAFCON matches in opposition to North African groups, Nigeria have scored 25 objectives and conceded only one.
They saved clear sheets in every of their first 5 such matches earlier than conceding within the 2022 semi-final in opposition to Morocco, a match they ultimately misplaced on penalties.
This fixture will probably be Tunisia’s fifth WAFCON match in opposition to West African opposition. Their file stands at P4 W1 D2 L1.
Tunisia beforehand drew 0-0 with Nigeria and misplaced 3-2 to Ghana within the 2008 group stage. In 2022, they defeated Togo 4-1, after which drew 0-0 with Senegal in a 2023 FIFA Girls’s World Cup Intercontinental Play-off (finally shedding on penalties).
Previous Wafcon Conferences:nineteenth November 2008 – Group B, Bata, Equatorial Guinea: Tunisia 0-0 Nigeria
Nigeria – Key Information
· Nigeria have been African champions 9 times–tied for essentially the most continental titles globally with China (AFC) and the USA (CONCACAF).
· They’re essentially the most profitable nation in WAFCON historical past, with titles in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
· Nigeria have reached the semi-finals in all 12 of their earlier appearances. Along with their 9 titles, they completed third in 2008 and fourth in each 2012 and 2022.
· They received the primary 5 editions of the event between 1998 and 2006.
· Nigeria are certainly one of solely three nations to have received the WAFCON title, alongside Equatorial Guinea (three titles) and South Africa (one).
· They’ve performed 61 matches at WAFCON finals, profitable 45–more than another crew. Their file consists of 9 attracts and simply 7 defeats.
· Nigeria are the competitors’s prime scorers with 176 objectives in 61 matches, averaging 2.89 objectives per sport and conceding solely 28.
· Their file in WAFCON opening matches: P12 W8 D2 L2.
· Their largest opening-game win was an 8-0 victory over Morocco in 1998.
· Nigeria have scored 40 objectives throughout their 12 event openers and conceded 8–six of these of their final 5 opening video games.
· They’ve failed to attain in an opener solely as soon as: a 1-0 loss to South Africa in 2018.
· They’ve saved six clear sheets of their 12 opening matches, although have conceded in 4 of their final 5, with a 6-0 win over Mali the exception.
· Nigeria had been unbeaten of their opening video games throughout their first 10 appearances (W8 D2), however have misplaced their opening match on the final two tournaments–1-0 and 2-1 defeats to South Africa in 2018 and 2022 respectively.
· Previous to that, that they had received 4 straight openers (2010-2016).
· Nigeria have confronted Ghana and South Africa twice every in WAFCON openers–the most in opposition to any opponent–and have but to defeat both (D2 vs Ghana, L2 vs South Africa).
· Nigeria are certainly one of solely two nations (alongside South Africa) to have certified for all 12 tournaments since 1998.
· They booked their place on the present version by defeating Cabo Verde 5-0 at residence (30 November 2023) and 2-1 away (5 December 2023), regardless of conceding early within the second leg.
· This will probably be Nigeria’s thirty seventh group-stage match on the finals (P36 W28 D5 L3).
· They’ve misplaced simply three group matches: in opposition to Ghana in 2002 and South Africa in 2018 and 2022.
· Between their 2002 defeat to Ghana and their 2018 loss to South Africa, Nigeria went unbeaten in 22 consecutive group-stage matches (W18 D4).
Tunisia – Key Information
· Tunisia reached the quarter-finals of their final look in 2022.
· That is their third WAFCON look, having debuted in 2008.
· They had been eradicated within the group stage in 2008 however reached the knockout spherical in 2022.
· Their file in event openers is P2 W1 L1.
· They misplaced 2-1 to South Africa of their 2008 opener. Their solely WAFCON win got here of their 2022 opener–a 4-1 victory over Togo.
· Following that 2022 win, Tunisia misplaced 4 straight matches: 1-0 to Zambia, 2-0 to Cameroon, 1-0 to South Africa within the quarter-finals and drew 0-0 with Senegal (misplaced on penalties) in a 2023 FIFA WWC Repechage qualifier
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· They’ve failed to attain of their final 4 finals matches–372 minutes with out a aim.
· Their group-stage file at WAFCON: P6 W1 D1 L4.
· Total WAFCON file: P8 W1 D2 L5.
· Of their 5 defeats, 4 had been by one-goal margins. The one exception was a 2-0 loss to Cameroon in 2022.
· Tunisia have saved two clear sheets in eight finals games–both in opposition to West African opponents (Nigeria in 2008, Senegal in 2022).
· Their solely group-stage draw was the 0-0 end result in opposition to Nigeria in 2008.
· Tunisia defeated Niger 12-1 on combination within the first spherical of 2024 qualifying, profitable 7-0 at residence and 5-1 away on 22 and 23 September 2023.
· Sabrine Ellouzi scored 5 objectives throughout each legs, together with a hat-trick within the first.
· Within the second spherical, Tunisia beat Congo 6-3 on aggregate–winning the house leg 5-2 and drawing 1-1 away. Salma Zemzem netted a hat-trick within the first leg (30 November 2023).
· Ellouzi scored seven objectives throughout the qualifiers, discovering the web in all 4 matches.
· All-time prime scorer Mariem Houij will purpose so as to add to her WAFCON tally, having scored as soon as in 2022. Ellouzi, who scored twice in 2022, will even be trying to improve her whole on the finals.
