The Rivalry Between Algeria and Nigeria in Football is Unmatched
When Algeria and Nigeria take the field to play football, it’s like no other game you’ve seen. It’s not just about winning — it’s about pride, honour, and respect. Neither team wants to lose; neither team wants to show any weakness. This rivalry will have you on the edge of your seat as these two powerhouses of African football duke it out on the field. Let’s look at the rivalry between Algeria and Nigeria in football and what makes this match so intense and special.
History
Nigeria's first international match was a 3-0 victory against Dahomey (now Benin), while Algeria's first game was against France, which they lost 6-1. The two countries were both active in Africa, with Nigeria winning three African Nations Cup titles (1963, 1994, and 2013) while Algeria has won it five times (1990, 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2010). Nigeria has qualified for the FIFA World Cup six times, while Algeria has only qualified three times. In the past four years, however, Algeria has been doing much better than Nigeria as they have made more appearances at the African Cup of Nations.
The rivalry between these two countries stretches back to a single match. On January 16, 1963, both teams played each other at Cairo Stadium in Egypt during group stage matches of that year's African Cup of Nations. The game ended 4-1, with all four goals being scored by Nigerians: three by Akintola Agogo (with two on penalties) and one by Aderoju Ogalegbe (on penalty), though most of Algeria's squad were European-based players. After taking an early lead through Chaibou Sougou on a penalty, Algerian goalkeeper Lakhdar Belloumi asked to be substituted after 18 minutes due to injury.
Years later, both countries would find themselves contesting African championship matches after 1990. This was a momentous development for Algerian football. As the Algerians put it, they had never gotten to play against real teams before they qualified. On June 2, 1991, at Cairo Stadium, as Nigeria were two minutes away from going through on aggregate over Algeria to make their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance in Italy 1990, Amara Traoré scored an equalizer for Algeria.
Comparisons
Algeria vs Nigeria may be the most intense rivalry on the African continent, with fans of both sides often resorting to violence to get their point across. The two countries have been competing for dominance not just in Africa but on an international level as well. With many years of experience behind them, both teams have plenty to show for their efforts. Algeria has won two African Nations Cups, while Nigeria has three titles under its belt.
The two teams’ first match was played in 1980, with Nigeria winning that meeting. However, just as with any other rivalry on earth, it was just a matter of time before Algeria got their revenge. The next time they met, in 1984, things didn’t go so well for their Nigerian counterparts as Algeria won 2-0. Since then, there have been countless clashes between these two African heavyweights, but no one can forget that first match between them.
The 2018 World Cup qualifying matches between these countries have also shown how heated up things can be when it comes to competition between these two.
With the such rich history between these two teams, it’s not surprising that they are top contenders for making it to Russia 2018. Fans will be watching closely as their respective teams go head-to-head to battle for a place at next year’s World Cup. And it's no doubt that if either team were to win today, then fans from both sides would take great pleasure in rubbing salt into their counterparts' wounds. But regardless of whether either of these two African powers makes it to Russia 2018 or not, expect more clashes between them along their quest for world dominance. It could well be a rivalry that shapes Africa's future footballing landscape for years to come.
Football as a religion
Football, or soccer as it's known outside of North America, has been the most popular sport in the world for decades. The game has been played since ancient times. It's now a global phenomenon that transcends borders and language barriers. There are few rivalries that can compare with the one between Algeria and Nigeria when it comes to football. The two countries have met on the field six times, with five of those meetings taking place at World Cup qualifying stages. More than 100 million people tuned in to watch their 2018 qualification match, which ended 2-0 to Algeria - a result that eliminated Nigeria from World Cup contention for only the second time ever.
The two teams have gone head to head a total of six times on major footballing stages, with Algeria winning five of those matches. Their first meeting came at the African Cup of Nations hosted by Ghana back in 1992. Nigeria won 2-1, but it was not until 2010 that they would beat Algeria again, courtesy of a 3-2 win during qualifying for Brazil 2014. The following year's African Cup of Nations went to extra time after Nigerians held out for a 0-0 draw against ten men Algerians during regulation time. With just 20 seconds left on the clock, Mahamadou Tounkara broke Nigerian hearts when he scored what proved to be a crucial winner for Algeria.
Two years later, they met again at another African Cup of Nations tournament hosted by South Africa. 2014 final ended 2-1 to Algeria thanks to goals from Islam Slimani and El Arbi Soudani for a record win over their North African rivals. This would prove to be the only meeting between both teams outside of the World Cup qualifying stages, with their last encounter coming back at Ghana 2010 in another semi-final clash. With 11 minutes left on the clock, Nouha Dicko gave Algeria an early lead which was cancelled out five minutes later by Ahmed Musa.
The teams have never met at the World Cup level, but with both sides qualifying for Russia 2018, that could all change. If they do meet during next summer's tournament, it will be only their second meeting on football's biggest stage, with a potential last-16 clash one to savour. However, it seems unlikely, given their form since 2010, that we'll see a repeat of Algeria's 1990 semi-final victory over Nigeria. Will they meet? Let’s just say we can't wait to find out.
How it’s like an El Classico match every time they play
Algeria vs Nigeria is an international football rivalry that always draws a lot of attention. The match-ups between the two teams, who are both from Africa and are also members of CAF, are often referred to as an El Classico match. One of the main reasons for this may be because it has been so hard to predict which team will win. A few years ago, Algeria seemed like one of the stronger teams on the continent, but then they had a few tough losses that put them at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, Nigeria has grown in popularity with some impressive wins over time. Each match-up between these two teams feels like it could go either way, and whoever ends up winning will likely feel like they've just won something big!
Some of their match-ups have even ended with the result that ends up being similar to an El Classico scoreline. Last year, when they played each other during qualifying for CAF's African Cup of Nations, it was so competitive that it ended up going into extra time, where both teams scored two goals each. This made their game end with a 4-4 draw! That’s something you won't often see between two evenly matched teams. So if you get a chance to catch either one of these teams playing, be sure not to miss it because something big could happen!
Conclusion
Although both teams have won their fair share of games against one another, there is a clear advantage with the Algerian side. In fact, Algeria has not lost to Nigeria in more than a decade. The last time they did was back when it was still called the African Cup of Nations back in 2002. This game had many surprises with it as well because, after two hours of play, there was no score on the board at all. In fact, Cameroon managed to tie up the game just before halftime with a goal scored by Samuel Eto'o. Yet, despite this surprise result, Algerian player Djamel Zidane managed to pull ahead for his team and scored two goals to defeat Cameroon 4-1.
On top of their Algerian game side also has several trophies under its belt. In fact, they won 5 straight African Cup of Nations titles between 1990 and 2010. They also managed to take home first place in 1982, 1986, 1998 and 2010. Not to mention that it will be hosting for FIFA World Cup 2022 as well! The country definitely shows that it has no intention of slowing down at all any time soon, which means we can expect some exciting matches from them for quite a while yet. It’s games against countries like Niger or Cameroon that have proven to be very exciting matches, with both sides going at it tooth and nail with equal determination.