Nigeria, Ghana renew rivalry in CHAN Qualifier

Until last weekend, when Ghana's Black Maidens beat Nigeria's Flamingos to win the inaugural WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup, Nigeria had dominated Ghana at the international level over the past 10 months.

The longstanding football rivalry between West African neighbours Nigeria and Ghana will be rekindled on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, as the two teams clash in the second leg of their 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying tie.

The first leg, played in Accra last weekend, ended in a goalless draw, setting the stage for a thrilling winner-takes-all encounter in Nigeria.

Both coaches, Daniel Ogunmodede of Nigeria and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani of Ghana, have expressed confidence in their teams’ abilities to secure a spot in the 2025 CHAN Tournament.

“We created far more chances and were unlucky not to score,” Dramani said at the pre-match press conference. “No need crying over spilt milk. Tomorrow (Saturday) is an opportunity to get the goals and qualify for the CHAN. It is not going to be easy as there is never any clash between Nigeria and Ghana that can be easy.”

Ghana’s Black Galaxies have a rich history of success against Nigeria in CHAN qualifying matches, having stopped the Super Eagles B team from reaching the finals in 2009 and 2023.

No distractions

However, Coach Ogunmodede is unfazed by this history, insisting that his team is focused on the present.

“They may be depending on so much history and the times they have been victorious over Nigeria, especially in the CHAN, but we are blind to that,” Ogunmodede said. “In camp, we are not allowing any historical talk to distract us. We are focused on achieving the win that will see us qualify for the finals.”

The Super Eagles B team has been preparing extensively for the match, with a strong 18-man roster selected by stand-in head coach Ogunmodede.

The team has been training in Uyo, plotting strategies to outwit their Ghanaian opponents.

Until last weekend, when Ghana’s Black Maidens beat Nigeria’s Flamingos to win the inaugural WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup, Nigeria had dominated Ghana at the international level over the past 10 months.

The Super Eagles had defeated the Black Stars 2-1 in a friendly match in Marrakech, Morocco.

The Nigerian U17 boys had also edged the Black Satellites 3-2 in the third-place match of the WAFU B U17 Championship, while the Flying Eagles had defeated the Black Satellites 3-1 to retain their WAFU B U20 Championship title.

The stakes appear higher this time as the winner of Saturday’s tie will earn a coveted spot in the 2025 CHAN Tournament, which will be held in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda from 1-28 February, 2025.

The match in Uyo will be officiated by Moroccan referee Hamza El Fariq, with his compatriots Abdessamad Abertoune, Zakaria Bouchtaoui, and Hicham Temsamani serving as assistant referees and fourth official, respectively.