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Tanzania captain Mbwana Samatta has apologised to the fans after they missed out on a chance to participate at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.

The Taifa Stars were among the participants in the finals staged in Egypt in 2019 and were looking to make it their second straight appearance but it could not be the case as they finished third in Group J with leaders Tunisia and second-placed Equatorial Guinea qualifying.

After winning their final group match 1-0 against Libya at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium to reach seven points, Samatta spoke to Goal about their objectives.

“It was not our intention to end up where we have ended [finished third],” Samatta told Goal after the Libya game. “We know we have hurt the fans because we have failed to qualify for the Afcon finals.

“We know everyone is hurt, it was not our intention, we had planned to do well in the qualifiers but have finished third, it is something we will have to work on, we must regroup now and look at the future to avoid such.”

On the game against Libya, Samatta, who currently turns out for Turkish club Fenerbahce on loan from Premier League club Aston Villa said: “We played very well, we pushed them from the first whistle and we looked the better side to take the three points and I am happy we won the game.

“It was good to end with a win, we were playing at home and we wanted to give the fans something to smile about, I know they are not happy because we have missed out on the Afcon finals, but at least we got the win, it was a deserved win and display from the lads.”

Simon Msuva struck at the tail end of the first half to ensure Taifa Stars would end the tie as winners at the expense of the heavily changed Libyan side.

After almost 44 minutes of knocking on Libya's door unsuccessfully, Tanzania took the lead in the second minute of added time of the second half through Msuva's header. Yanga SC’s Deus Kaseke provided the assist that they needed to break the wall established by the Mediterranean Knights.

With Kenya and Tanzania eliminated from the qualifiers, East Africa's hope is now only on Uganda who are in Malawi for a decisive clash against The Flames on Monday. 

Uganda, the Cecafa giants, and current champions, after drawing against Burkina Faso at Kitende on Wednesday, need a draw or a win in order to proceed to Cameroon for the Afcon finals.

Harambee Stars coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee insists their Africa Cup of Nations Group G qualifier away to Togo is important despite having no impact on qualification, after Egypt and Comoros clinched their tickets for Cameroon.

The two teams will meet on Monday at Kegue Stadium in Lome with the hosts needing a win to finish above the East African side in the group. However, the tactician believes his charges have prepared well to ensure that does not happen again.

"We have prepared well to play Togo, of course, they are not an easy side, we drew against them in Nairobi," Mulee told Goal ahead of the game.

"We are playing our last game [in Group G] and it is an important game which we are not thinking about losing since we want to finish the campaign in the third position.  

"So we are taking the game with all the seriousness it deserves; we believe we can pick up from where we left in Nairobi [after drawing 1-1 with Egypt].

With the World Cup qualifiers around the comer, Mulee believes the game away to the Sparrowhawks gives him a head start considering several players in the squad are new.

"We will not take the game casually because every game has its own merits," the tactician continued.

"It decides where we go from here because the World Cup qualifiers are coming so it is an indication of what the future holds for us. I mean we are a new team and I believe they will be able to live up to the expectations in the game on Monday."

In the last meeting at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, Johanna Omolo -who is not part of the current squad scored for the then Francis Kimanzi-led Stars before Hakim Oura-Sama equalised for the visitors to ensure the spoils are shared.

Kenya squad 

Goalkeepers: Ian Otieno, James Saruni, Joseph Okoth.

Defenders: Daniel Sakari, Eric Ouma, Clyde Senaji, Joash Onyango, Nahashon Alembi, Baraka Badi, Harun Mwale.

Midfielders: Duke Abuya, Lawrence Juma, Cliff Nyakeya, Nahashon Alembi, Abdallah Hassan, Cliffton Miheso, Duncan Otieno, Kevin Kimani, James Mazembe, Kevin Simiyu, David Owino.

Forwards: Masud Juma, Michael Olunga, and Elvis Rupia.

Thomas Muller has admitted that he is open to following Thiago Alcantara's path out of Allianz Arena, insisting he is "not fixed" to Bayern Munich.

Muller began his professional career at Bayern back in 2008, and has since helped the club achieve great success in Germany and the Champions League.

The 31-year-old remains a key member of the squad, but he is refusing to rule out a transfer in the near future - citing Thiago's 2020 move to Liverpool as proof that no one is bound to the club unconditionally.

What's been said?

"I'm not fixed to this club," the Bayern forward told The Times. "I have a special relationship, I love Bayern before I started playing for them, but when there is a situation where you have to decide maybe to play for a different club it would be no shame and no problem at all.

"Maybe like with Thiago [Alcantara, now at Liverpool]."

Who has been linked with Muller?

A number of top European clubs have been credited with an interest in Muller in the past, including Manchester United and Real Madrid. Liverpool have also been linked with the Germany international, and his latest comments could reignite rumours of a potential switch to Anfield in the summer.

Muller's record at Bayern

Muller has appeared in 571 games across all competitions for Bayern, scoring 212 goals and laying on 210 assists. The experienced frontman has picked up 27 major trophies, including nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions League crowns.

The bigger picture

Muller's current contract at Bayern is not due to expire until 2023, and Hansi Flick still trusts him to lead the line alongside Robert Lewandowski as the German champions continue to fight for silverware across multiple fronts.

However, Bayern are reportedly planning to launch a big-money bid for Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland when the transfer market reopens, which could provide Flick with a selection dilemma.

Haaland's arrival might see Muller fall down the pecking order, hastening his possible departure, but Bayern are likely to face stiff competition for the Norwegian's signature from Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Further reading

Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki says the national team coaches and players are very much aware of the disappointment they have caused South Africans.

Ntseki was commenting after Bafana Bafana's 2-0 loss away in Sudan on Sunday night saw them missing out on playing in next year's Afcon finals - instead it will be Sudan and Ghana who go to Cameroon.

Having needed just a point from the Sudan game to qualify, meant that South Africa's elimination was all the more painful.

It's a big disappointment for all of us. If you look at how we started, we were very positive and looking forward to qualifying," Ntseki said.

"If you look at the games we won, we became very confident to qualify. The expectations were created to say the team will do well against Ghana at home and against Sudan away."

The coach pointed to the quick turn-around time between the Ghana match in Soweto on Thursday and Sunday's game away in northeast Africa as a contributing factor.

"Drawing against Ghana made life very difficult for us coming in Sudan. We knew it would be a foreign land with foreign challenges," he said.

"The travelling also, having to travel immediately after the game, one session preparation and then we play a match. The players tried very hard and we also tried very hard to put everything together with the analysis of Sudan and our own analysis against Ghana."

Conceding as early as the fifth minute really set Bafana back, and the failure to take some good chances also proved costly.

"We started on the wrong foot because we conceded very early," Ntseki said.

"The idea was not to concede because we were fully aware that even before the game started we were in, because of the point that we had in our bag.

"Missing chances does not win you games. In the second half we approached the game differently, we made tactical changes and changes in terms of playing personnel.

"But on the day we could not get the goal and could not see ourselves getting an equaliser."

The national team coach says he understands full well the impact of Sunday's defeat.

"The disappointment is not only for us, but the big disappointment is for the South African Football Association. Because as Safa the mandate is very clear, to see the team qualifying for every continental and world tournament," Ntseki conceded.

"So that we can put Bafana Bafana on the map again in terms of the type of football we play and the results we get.

"Not qualifying has dented our image, it has dented our possibilities of improving our rankings.

"As players, as coaches, we are very much aware of the disappointment and emotional pain which we have caused all South Africans.

"And also being aware the pain is more for us, because we were almost there in Cameroon, because of the points that we have accumulated along the road."

Gokulam Kerala FC trounced TRAU FC 4-1 on the final day of I-League 2020-21 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan stadium on Saturday in Kolkata to emerge champions.

In doing so, Gokulam Kerala FC became the first team from Kerala to lift the prestigious title. The league also saw a new titleholder for the sixth season straight.

TRAU FC, however, dominated the individual awards as they swept four out of seven awards on offer. Their Manipuri talisman Bidyashagar Singh took home two awards with his prolific performance.

Singh also scored on the final day to take home the golden boot ahead of Dennis Agyare Antwi and Luka Majcen with 12 goals to his name. 

How much prize money do the winners bag? 

Gokulam Kerala bagged prize money of INR 1 crore while Churchill Brothers (second spot), TRAU FC (third), RoundGlass Punjab (fourth) took home INR 60 lakh, 40 lakh and 25 lakh respectively. respectively. 

Meanwhile, Hero of the League was awarded INR 5 lakh while the rest of the individual awards had a sum total of INR 2.5 lakh. 

There was, however, no prize money announced for the best coach award. 

The India national team is set to play an international friendly against UAE on March 29 ahead of their World Cup qualifiers which will take place later this year. 

The first friendly between India and Oman, took place on March 25, 2021 (Thursday) at the Maktoum Bin Rashid Stadium in Dubai and finished 1-1.

India now face hosts UAE at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

Head coach Igor Stimac has a 27-member squad that is currently training in Dubai at his disposal. 

Where to watch or stream

The Indian men's senior national team's forthcoming match UAE on March 29 will be broadcast live in India on Eurosport,

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Schedule

India Squad

The 27-member squad is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Dheeraj Singh.

DEFENDERS: Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Dessai, Mashoor Shereef.

MIDFIELDERS: Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Bipin Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Singh, Halicharan Narzary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan.

FORWARDS: Manvir Singh, Ishan Pandita, Hitesh Sharma, Liston Colaco.

Related links

As India prepare to take on UAE in their second international friendly of the year ahead of their World Cup - Asian Cup qualifiers in June, striker Ali Mabkhout is undoubtedly the player to watch out for. 

The 30-year-old forward is Al Jazira academy's product and started featuring for the first team from the 2008-09 season onwards. 

In a career that has spanned 13 years, the prolific forward has broken several records. Two of them stand out among the neutrals - he broke Adnan Al Talyani's record to become UAE's all-time top goalscorer with 60 international goals. He is the all-time top scorer at the club level as well. 

Mabkhout has become a one-club player. He has been linked to Premier League and La Liga clubs in the past but the striker's commitment to his parent club has been unmatched. 

One of the biggest moments in his career came when he took on Cristiano Ronaldo and co. as Al Jazira faced off against Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2017. Ronaldo and Bale scored in the second half to clinch a 2-1 win in the semi-final against Al Jazira and the Los Blancos head coach Zinedine Zidane was in awe of their opponents. 

“They have two quality players, Mabkhout and Romarinho, who gave our defence a tough test,” the former World Cup winner had said after the game. 

Mabkhout had a stellar AFC Asian Cup campaign in 2015 which propelled him to international fame. He scored five goals from six matches and ended the campaign as the tournament's top scorer - bettering the tally of the likes of Tim Cahill, Keisuke Honda and Heung-min Son. In one of the tournament's games against Bahrain, Mabkhout scored 14 seconds into the game and recorded the fastest goal scored in Asian Cup history. 

In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Almoez Ali (9 goals) overtook Mabkhout (4 goals) for the topscorer's prize but the latter still came second. In two Asian Cup tournaments, Mabkhout has nine goals, just five short of the legendary Ali Daei. 

India knows what they are up against when they face Ali Mabkhout. In their second group of the 2019 Asian Cup, the Al Jazira striker struck the second goal and sealed a 2-0 win for UAE against India.

Mabkhout is currently one of the most feared strikers in Asia and is very much an in-form asset for UAE who have also resumed their preparations for the World Cup qualifiers. 

For the third consecutive cycle, the U.S. Under-23 men's national team has failed to qualify for the Olympics.

The U.S. were knocked out of CONCACAF's Olympic qualifying tournament in the semifinal round as they fell 2-1 to Honduras.

With the loss, the U.S. will not head to Tokyo this summer while Honduras will head to the Olympic games for the fourth consecutive time.

Another nightmare

Having not been to the Olympics since the 2008 Games, the U.S. were left heartbroken on Sunday as they capitulated once again in Olympic qualifying.

Following a lackadaisical start, the U.S. conceded a horrific goal just before the halftime whistle with Honduras' Juan Carlos Obregon Jr. bundling home the opener four minutes into first-half stoppage time.

Then, just moments into the second half, Honduras had a second, with U.S. goalkeeper David Ochoa smashing the ball off Honduras' Luis Palma and straight into the back of his own net while trying to play out of the back.

The U.S. did find a goal moments later, with captain Jackson Yueill firing home a missile from just outside the box, but it wouldn't be enough for the U.S. to avoid yet another qualifying failure.

A look back

The U.S. has now fallen short in qualifying each of the last three cycles, making their last Olympic appearance in 2008.

In 2012, the U.S failed to make it out of the group stage, finishing behind Canada and El Salvador after a disastrous three-game run.

Three years later, as they aimed to qualify for the 2016 games, the U.S. looked to be well on their way after winning all three of their group stage games with a +11 goal difference.

However, matched up with Honduras in the semi-finals, the U.S. were defeated 2-0 and were then knocked out of contention altogether as they lost an intercontinental playoff to Colombia. 

Further reading

Plans for a second-tier European competition and a women’s FIFA Club World Cup are included in the European Club Association’s (ECA) first-ever strategy for women’s football, which launched on Monday.

The news comes ahead of the UEFA Women’s Champions League adopting a new format for the 2021-22 season, with group stages to come into play for the first time in the competition’s current era.

That reform, plus the inclusion of a centralised commercial model and other changes in the women’s game in Europe, have been influenced by the ECA, which represents over 200 clubs from 50 national assocations across the continent.

What has been said?

Speaking to reporters ahead of the launch of the new strategy, Charlie Marshall, CEO of the ECA, stressed the need to “balance pace with potential” with the regards to a second-tier competition, equivalent to the Europa League.

Many clubs competing in the Champions League still struggle financially and there are questions as to whether the game is ready yet for a competition that would require clubs with potentially smaller budgets to take part.

“It's not to say that the right thing to do is to say the women's game has to entirely sustain itself [and] there's no point developing new competitions until everything is able then to be paid for.

“I think there are opportunities to actually properly invest in developing at more pace than you would be able to if you were just to simply rely on the kind of commercial side.

“Can we find opportunities, sensible opportunities, for investment to be made in the women's game, which will enable it to just develop a little bit ahead of the curve? I think we are now seeing that.”

As for a Club World Cup, Marshall said that is something "FIFA is very, very keen on".

“We do have this responsibility to explore all of the possible opportunities that can help grow the competition landscape, both on a European level with perhaps a second-tier competition in Europe, and then on a much more global scale, with a possible Club World Cup,” Claire Bloomfield, the ECA’s head of women’s football, added.

“It's difficult to determine exactly how quickly that would be in place. There are lots of things to consider, but we're very committed to tabling a very detailed proposition.”

What else is in the ECA's women’s football strategy?

The ECA’s ‘Be a Changemaker’ strategy is made up of six strands: ensuring a sustainable future for the game, accelerating professionalism, advancing economic development, developing the competition landscape, facilitating the creation of new women’s clubs and producing research that can be a regular reference point for women’s football.

There is a significant lack of research that is specific to the women’s game, such as for injuries. This strategy will see a new task force introduced in order to tackle that issue head on.

Among its many goals is to secure additional investment for women’s football by establishing financial contributions from the men’s European club competitions and develop the game’s existing European competitions further.

Jean Michel-Aulas, president of seven-time European champions Lyon, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl and Juventus captain Sara Gama have voiced their support for the implementation of its initiatives.

Further reading

Luis Enrique joked that he was "on the verge of a heart attack” after his Spain side needed a last-minute winner to beat Georgia in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday.

After drawing with Greece in their opening qualifier on Thursday, Enrique’s side looked set for another frustrating result in Tbilisi when the game tipped over into stoppage-time with the scores level at 1-1.

However, RB Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo spared Spain’s blushes when he fired in a shot from distance that goalkeeper Giorgi Loria could only push into the roof of the net to seal all three points.

What did Enrique say?

Speaking to TVE after the game, Enrique, who celebrated Olmo’s late goal wildly on the touchline, said: "I was on the verge of a heart attack. We have been losing confidence and you could see that in the first half.

"We conceded from a slight defensive error and knew it would be complicated from that point on. Our intention was to play more passes inside and create more opportunities."

Asked if Spain deserved their victory against a side ranked 83 places below them in the FIFA rankings, Enrique added: "Yes. And if people think we don't then I do not care.

"If you score in the 90-something minute it is because you have worked hard for the goal. Each win will lift our morale but we cannot afford to relax now.”

The bigger picture

Spain have not lost a World Cup qualifying game for 28 years but went into Sunday’s clash on a run of just one win in five matches, including Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Greece in Granada.

Things looked to be getting even worse when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave Georgia a half-time lead in front of 15,000 fans in Tbilisi.

Manchester City’s Ferran Torres slid home Jordi Alba’s cross to equalise but it took Olmo’s last-gasp effort to secure a victory many thought would be a formality before kick-off.

The result leaves Spain second in Group B, two points behind leaders Sweden who maintained their perfect start with a 3-0 win in Kosovo.

Spain have mustered just five shots on target across their opening two qualifiers, but Enrique says that is down to the defensive tactics of the opposition - something he is anctipating again when his side face Kosovo on Wednesday.

"There are no small rivals, especially when they drop deep and defend in numbers. If you are not on top of your game then you will suffer,” he said.

"Unfortunately this is the way it is going to be against Kosovo as well.”

Enrique dismisses Ramos injury talk

Enrique also insisted captain Sergio Ramos was not injured despite the Real Madrid defender being an unused substitute against Georgia, having also been taken off at half-time against Greece.

The 34-year-old has only just recovered from an ankle injury and also had knee surgery earlier this season. 

"He is fine," said Enrique. "I know that whatever I decide with Ramos it is going to generate controversy and debate. I am prepared for any situation.”

Further reading

Bafana Bafana disappointed millions of South Africans when they failed to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations finals on Sunday evening.

The 1996 African champions had to avoid a defeat to Sudan in order to book their spot in next year's tournament which will be hosted by Cameroon.

However, South Africa suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Sudan's Falcons of Jediane in their final Group C match at Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman.

Two first-half goals from Saifeldin Bakhit and Mohamed Abdel Raman helped earn Sudan their maiden victory over South Africa.

Many disheartened South Africans took to social media to share their opinions on the national team's disappointing loss to the Falcons of Jediane. 

Here is how Twitter reacted to the result:

Argentine football begins its program for 2021 with the playing of the Copa Liga Profesional.

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Boca was crowned 2019-20 league champions in March after coming out on top during the 23-game season, and also triumphed in the following Copa Diego Armando Maradona, which ended in January. 

In lieu of beginning a new league season, the Argentine footballing authorities have instead sanctioned another cup competition, which will run from February to May.

The 26 Primera Division clubs have been split into two groups, with each side playing each other once. 

In addition there will be one inter-zonal game every week, where Boca and River, Racing Club and Independiente and the rest of Argentina's Clasico rivals will face off in a series of clashes. 

The top four teams from each group then advance to a play-off stage, which will take place in a straight knock-out format in order to yield a single winner.

Fanatiz has the rights to the Copa de la Liga Profesional worldwide, excluding Argentina, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Israel, Russia, Sweden and the Balkans.

How to watch Independiente vs Boca Juniors

Independiente changed their coach following a disappointing 2020, welcoming back veteran Julio Cesar Falcioni for a second spell in charge.

So far the switch has worked wonders at Avellaneda, with the Rojo winning four of their opening six matches in Zone 2 to stake their claim for a place in the play-offs.

Boca performed a clean sweep in domestic competition over 2020 with league and cup wins, and once more start out as one of the favourites in this new tournament. 

That success, though, was overshadowed by a disappointing exit from the Copa Libertadores at the hands of Santos, extending the club's drought to 14 years. 

The pressure is on to perform at continental level, but Boca, who suffered their first defeat in the competition at the hands of Talleres last week, will also be expected to reach the latter stages of this Copa as a bare minimum. 

Live Stream: Fanatiz English ( stream now )

Independiente vs Boca Juniors team news

Independiente have lost defender Alan Franco, who sealed a move to MLS with Atlanta United, while Silvio Romero and Braian Martinez will be sidelined after testing positive for Covid-19.

Boca hope to welcome back Carlos Tevez, who sat out Wednesday's Copa Argentina victory over Defensores del Belgrano to rest his troubled ankle.

Watch all this weekend's Copa Liga Profesional matches on Fanatiz  with a 7-day free trial.

What other Copa Liga Profesional matches are available on Fanatiz?

All games are live streamed on Fanatiz and you can sign up to watch free here.

Juliette Nana scored five times and Moussa Zouwairatou scored a brace for Neman as they humiliated Gomel 11-0 in Sunday's Belarusian Women's Football Championship encounter.

Burkina Faso's Nana and Cameroon's Zouwairatou had grabbed a brace each in their side's 5-0 victory over Vitebsk last week and the African duo were hugely impressive in their big triumph at Gomel.

Following their vital contributions at Grodno Indoor Arena, Nana and Zouwairatou were handed their second starting roles of the season for Denis Levchenko’s team at Stadyen DYuSSh-8.

Zouwairatou got the contest up and running for Neman when she opened the scoring after just five minutes of action before grabbing her second of the encounter three minutes later.

Nana netted the third in the 12th minute before she grabbed her second and her side's fourth four minutes later and Polina Dolmatova made it five in the 18th minute.

The rampant visitors maintained their scoring form when Nana scored a sixth in the 26th minute, completing her treble of the encounter for a comfortable six-goal lead before the break. 
 
After the restart, Nana ensured Neman continued their fine scoring form as she netted her fourth four minutes into the second half.

Tatyana Kenda scored the eighth in the 56th minute and Nana made it nine, with her fifth five minutes later before Darya Tatarin and Natallia Kachan scored the 10th and 11th goals for Neman.

Cameroon's Zouwairatou, who featured for 77 minutes, has now scored four goals in two games, while Burkina Faso's Nana who lasted the duration has now taken her tally to seven in two games.

The two Africans will be eyeing more goals for Neman this campaign as they seek to inspire the club's domestic success in Belarus.

The victory keeps Neman in second on the log with six points from two matches and they will seek to build on the winning start against Zorka-BDU in their next encounter on April 3.

Steve Mounie has expressed his disappointment after the Republic of Benin lost 1-0 to Nigeria in Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game in Porto Novo. 

Genk forward Onuachu scored a late effort to ensure the Super Eagles secured victory in the encounter.

The result ended the Squirrels impressive home form and delayed their qualification for the biennial tournament as a draw would have been enough to see them seal their place in the competition.

Mounie has expressed his frustration following the loss but has now shifted his focus to their game against Sierra Leone on Tuesday.

“To concede right at the death it’s disappointing. We fought hard in the game and thought we did enough to get at least a draw,” Mounie told the media.

“Things like this happen in football and we have to put it behind us. The game against Sierra Leone is what we should be thinking about now. Hopefully, we can get a good result and get the qualification ticket.”

Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr, who has now led his side to qualify for their second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations finals, has expressed his sympathy with the Squirrels for the loss, given their effort in the encounter.

"It's easier to play if you are already qualified so the players wanted to go ahead,” Rohr said.

"The challenge was to win here since 2013, Benin has not lost a match at home and the players absolutely wanted to do so and to be the first in eight years to beat them.

"It hurts my heart to see an opponent lose at the last second but it's true there is no place for emotions, really in football".

Nigeria will look to further increase their lead at the top of the Group L table when they take on Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Tuesday.

The Super Eagles finished third at the last edition of the continental tournament in Egypt, behind winners Algeria and Senegal.

Their best performances at the biennial competition were in 1980, 1994 and 2013, where they won the highly coveted trophy.

The Super Eagles remain the team with the most bronze medal at the tournament, winning it eight times.

They will hope to clinch their fourth title at the 2022 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.