After the first two matches have come and gone, it is fair to say that the early favorites can be clearly seen in the way that teams have handled themselves. It has been a wonderful atmosphere among some teams who have kept a flawless record while other teams which were thought to be favorites have really failed to live up to the expectations of most people around the world. Yet though, some teams which were written off at the start of the campaign are proving to be much more industrious than many would have expected. Two teams which are right at the end of the positive side would surely be Nigeria and Madagascar. When they play each other in the last match of their group, it would surely not be a walk in the park.
Madagascar
Madagascar is in what would be their first Afcon and boy have they impressed in that short time. They have attained a draw against one of the favorites in their group's Guinea when they held them to a 2-2 draw and they have also won their match against Burundi thanks to a spectacular free-kick which surely brought most people in the stadium to their feet. This has left them in second place in the group with 4 points, 2 behind Nigeria. The only threat which they would have to not qualifying would be Guinea which is currently on 1 point. Should they win against Nigeria though, they would top the group with 7 points and a draw in this game would see them secure a 2nd position in the group. They would just have to find a way of keeping the Super Eagles at bay.
Nigeria
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are known for their ability to defend in this tournament. Having failed to concede even a single goal in this tournament so far, they have managed to win their games with just a slight margin. Having the wins have been enough to secure a round of 16 berths in the tournament and they would have been thrilled to be able to do this in record time. While the job is all but done, Nigeria would be wanting to win Madagascar as failure to win or draw would mean that they would forfeit their top place to Madagascar. Therefore, the need to be focused would surely still be in the mind of Coach Rohr who would be hoping to keep a flawless record heading into the next round.
Madagascar would be hoping that their match against Burundi would ignite their pretty form as they face Nigeria. A single win and three draws in their last six is not pretty where they would want to be at the moment. Nigeria, on the other hand, has managed to win three times during the same period and have only lost once. Surely, Madagascar has got their work cut out for them.
It is the final match of Group B and the second placed team would have to face the winners of group A which would likely be Egypt.
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