Category sport-news

The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday defeated the Desert Foxes of Algeria in their the quarter final match, paving the way for a blockbuster semi-final showdown against the hosts Morocco.

READ ALSO: AFCON 2025: BUA Group Chairman Pledges $500,000, Bonuses To Super Eagles For Semi-Final

A 2-0 win at the Stade de Marrakech gave Nigeria the needed revenge against their North African opponents who knocked them out of the semi-finals of the tournament in 2019.

The goals in the scored in the second-half came from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams, sealing victory for the three-time champions.

Here are photos that captured some memmorable moments from the game:

The Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has announced a major financial incentive for the Super Eagles following their impressive victory over Algeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a win that secured Nigeria’s place in the semi-finals of the tournament.

In a statement posted on his Facebook and X accounts, shortly after the match, Rabiu congratulated the players for what he described as a performance that “lifted the spirit of the nation,” pledging $500,000 to the team if they win their semi-final clash against hosts Morocco, alongside an additional $50,000 for every goal scored in that match.

He further promised a $1 million reward should Nigeria go on to win the final, with an extra $100,000 per goal scored in the championship game.

– 10.JAN.2026 –

Congratulations to our Super Eagles players on a brilliant victory against Algeria!

You have lifted the spirit of the nation, and we proudly cheer you on as you prepare for the semi-finals.

To encourage you, I pledge USD $500,000 to the players upon winning… pic.twitter.com/QEHiiXO8vL

The Super Eagles’ victory over Algeria was widely hailed as one of their most assured performances of the tournament.

Displaying tactical discipline, intensity, and attacking confidence, Nigeria overcame a traditionally tough North African opponent to keep their title ambitions alive.

READ ALSO: High-Flying Super Eagles Defeat Algeria’s Desert Foxes To Reach AFCON Semi-Final

The win extended Nigeria’s strong run at the Morocco-hosted tournament and reinforced growing belief that the team has the quality and depth to challenge for the continental crown.

Rabiu’s pledge adds to the growing wave of national support surrounding the team as they enter the decisive stages of the competition.

In his message, the BUA Group chairman praised the players for carrying the nation forward and urged them to continue making Nigeria proud as they push for AFCON glory.

The incentives, he noted, are meant to encourage the squad as they prepare for the high-stakes matches ahead.

As the Super Eagles set their sights on the semi-finals, the combination of on-field momentum, public enthusiasm, and private-sector backing has heightened expectations back home.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a commanding 2–0 victory over Algeria at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Saturday.

The Desert Foxes, who had conceded just one goal throughout the tournament before the quarter-final, were undone by Nigeria’s relentless pressure and clinical second-half finishing.

The result sets up a mouth-watering semi-final clash between Nigeria and tournament hosts Morocco.

Though the first half was goalless despite Nigeria’s dominance, the Super Eagles scored twice in the second half to cap an impressive display.

Nigeria broke the deadlock two minutes after the restart when Victor Osimhen rose highest to power home a trademark header from Bruno Onyemaechi’s pinpoint cross.

Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 47th minute with a powerful header, before Akor Adams sealed the win in the 57th minute with a composed right-footed finish.

READ ALSO: Diaz Scores Again As Morocco Beat Cameroon To Reach AFCON Semis

The goal was Osimhen’s fourth of the tournament.

Ten minutes later, the Super Eagles doubled their advantage with a beautifully executed team move.

Alex Iwobi split the Algerian defence with a delightful outside-of-the-boot pass, Osimhen selflessly squared the ball across goal, and Adams calmly rounded goalkeeper Luca Zidane before slotting into an empty net.

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Nigeria had dominated proceedings long before the goals arrived.

In the first half, they controlled possession, dictated the tempo, and created multiple scoring opportunities, with Algeria defender Ramy Bensebaini making several crucial goal-line clearances to keep the score level at the break.

Algeria struggled to impose itself and failed to register a single shot on target throughout the match, despite second-half changes that included the introduction of Baghdad Bounedjah.

Nigeria, meanwhile, continued to threaten, with Adams later hitting the post and other chances going narrowly wide.

Iwobi orchestrated play superbly from midfield, while Calvin Bassey anchored the defence with authority.

Wilfred Ndidi received a yellow card, which could raise concerns ahead of the semi-final, but Nigeria’s defensive unit remained solid to see out the contest. Late substitutions, including Moses Simon, helped manage the closing stages comfortably.

The victory sends Nigeria into the semi-finals, where they will face hosts Morocco in what promises to be a blockbuster encounter.

With their attack firing and confidence soaring, the Super Eagles look well-positioned to push for a fourth continental title.

Carlos Alcaraz beat his great rival Jannik Sinner in a light-hearted sell-out exhibition match in South Korea on Saturday, ahead of the Australian Open.

Eight days before the Melbourne Grand Slam and in their first appearances this year, the Spanish world number one won 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) in front of an enthusiastic 12,000 crowd in Incheon.

Neither will play competitively until the Australian Open, where Italy’s world number two Sinner is the defending two-time champion.

South Korean organisers have not said how much the two players earned, but reports in Italy suggest each could pocket more than $2 million for the match that lasted one hour and 47 minutes.

READ ALSO: Diaz Scores Again As Morocco Beat Cameroon To Reach AFCON Semis

It was not always entirely serious; the smiling duo treated a packed house to some trick shots between their legs, drawing cheers, and reacted to calls from the crowd by making heart gestures.

“Jannik, we finished the season playing together. We started the season playing together,” Alcaraz said on court afterwards.

“So hopefully this season is going to be such a good one like last year. You deserve the best.”

Alcaraz and Sinner have taken a stranglehold on men’s tennis over the past two years, splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them in 2024 and 2025.

“It was a close match, so a little bit of tension also,” said Sinner.

“We were just happy to be here for the first time, seeing something new. It made us feel at home, and we felt it on the court.”

Arch competitors on the court but good friends off it, Alcaraz has the upper hand in their rivalry and came into the exhibition boasting a 10-6 head-to-head record.

They will be the favourites when the Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 18, when the serious work begins.

The Africa Cup of Nations reaches the quarter-final stage this weekend with a series of mouthwatering ties between the continent’s heavyweights. AFP Sport picks out five stars enjoying their first AFCON to look out for in the last eight:

Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid/Morocco)

Moroccans were perhaps pinning their hopes of Cup of Nations glory on home soil on skipper Achraf Hakimi. But while the African player of the year hardly featured in the group stage as he recovered from injury, Diaz wasted no time in becoming their key man.

Diaz, 26, has scored in every game including the crucial strike to beat Tanzania in the last 16. That makes him the tournament’s leading marksman on four goals.

Born in Malaga, Diaz was capped by Spain at full international level in 2021 but later switched allegiance to Morocco, from where his father hails. The ex-Manchester City and AC Milan winger broke into the Atlas Lions’ side shortly after the last AFCON in 2024 and will have an important part to play against Cameroon on Friday.

Christian Kofane (Bayer Leverkusen/Cameroon)

Cameroon appear to be in permanent turmoil these days but they have so far enjoyed a successful AFCON with a number of exciting young players to the fore. None more so than Kofane, the 19-year-old forward from Douala who joined Bayer Leverkusen ahead of this campaign from Albacete in Spain’s second tier.

He has started 10 games for Leverkusen this season, scoring against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven. Those performances convinced new Indomitable Lions coach David Pagou to include him in his squad to go to Morocco.

Kofane made his first appearance in the 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast before netting the winner against Mozambique in the final group game and then the goal that secured a 2-1 success over South Africa in the last 16.

Ibrahim Mbaye (Paris Saint-Germain/Senegal)

The 17-year-old PSG winger hails from the suburbs of the French capital and represented France at youth international level before deciding in the run-up to the Cup of Nations to play for Senegal, his father’s country of origin.

Mbaye, who has made 20 appearances for European champions PSG this season, was therefore handed a debut for the Lions of Teranga in a November friendly defeat by Brazil.

He has gone on to have a significant impact for Senegal in Morocco, showing that he belongs among the likes of Sadio Mane and Iliman Ndiaye.

Mbaye came off the bench to set up his team’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw with DR Congo, and set up a goal as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Benin. Again appearing from the bench, Mbaye scored the third goal in the 3-1 win over Sudan in the last 16. His side face Mali in the last eight on Friday.

Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen/Algeria)

“Mazadona” has been thrilling on Algeria’s run to the quarters. The 20-year-old Berlin-born attacking midfielder represented Germany as a youth but has Algerian heritage and opted in late 2024 to play for them after impressive performances for Hertha Berlin.

Maza, who joined Leverkusen ahead of this season for a reported 12 million euros ($14m), has had a huge impact for Algeria playing behind the striker.

He came off the bench to score in their opening win against Sudan and has started every game since, picking up the man of the match prize against Burkina Faso and finding the net against Equatorial Guinea. A future superstar.

Akor Adams (Sevilla/Nigeria)

The big 25-year-old striker is a great addition to a fearsome Nigerian attack led by Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.

Adams, who joined La Liga side Sevilla from Montpellier a year ago, was not part of the Super Eagles set-up until October, when he scored on his debut in World Cup qualifying against Lesotho.

Nigeria are up against Algeria in the quarter-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a semi-final ticket on the line. 

The AFCON classic is a rematch of the 2019 semi-final between the Desert Foxes and the Super Eagles, won by the Algerians courtesy of a stunning late free kick from Riyad Mahrez.

Saturday’s eagerly anticipated match will see two teams on a winning streak at the 2025 AFCON taking on each other. Nigeria’s attacking flair, with 12 goals in four games, will be put to the test against an Algerian defence that has conceded just one in the same number of games. 

The deadly attacking duo of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will be up against an impregnable Luca Zidane in goal for the 2019 champions, making the clash an interesting encounter.

Nigeria trounced Mozambique 4-0 in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-final, while the Algerians pipped DR Congo 1-0 to book their ticket to the last-eight. 

Nigeria Team News

The Super Eagles go into the encounter against Algeria after a bonus row with players threatening to boycott the game. But with that resolved, the team has the full complement of players for selection. Lookman and Osimhen, both on three goals each, are expected to continue their fine form at the AFCON. The defensive solidity of the West Africans will be tested again, having kept only one clean sheet so far. 

Striker Akor Adams is also a threat to any opponent. The Sevilla man has two assists and a goal in the AFCON. Fulham’s Alex Iwobi has grown into the tournament, and Nigeria need him to be in his best element on Saturday, pulling the strings from the middle of the pack!

Eric Chelle will likely keep faith with the same players who featured in the defeat of the Mozambicans on Monday. 

Algeria Team News

For the Algerians, Mahrez, with multiple Premier League titles, remains one of the most outstanding players for the North Africans. The former Manchester City and Leicester City winger has scored three goals in the competition. 

He, alongside Ibrahim Maza on two goals and Anis Moussa, are players Nigeria must keep an eye on if they are to reach the semis of Africa’s most important competition. 

Lucas, son of French legend Zinedine Zidane, is a towering figure in the post, having yet to concede in the three games he has featured in Morocco. However, Ismael Bennacer is a doubt for Vladimir Petkovic’s team. 

Nigeria vs Algeria: Head-To-Head Record 

While Algeria and Nigeria are not new to facing each other, the Desert Foxes have had the upper hand in 22 games played between the two sides. They have won 10 times, but Nigeria have nine victories to show for. Three of the matches have ended in draws. 

Algeria last met Nigeria at the AFCON in 2019, where they won 1-0. But the three-time African champions mauled them 3-0 in the first leg of their 2018 World Cup qualifier. 

Nigeria vs Algeria: AFCON 2025 Match Details 

Match: Nigeria vs Algeria

Competition: 2025 Africa Cup of Nations

Venue: Marrakech Stadium, Morocco

Date/Time: Saturday at 5 pm (WAT)

Nigeria vs Algeria: Can Nigeria’s Super Eagles Soar Over Algeria?

After the heartbreak of missing out on the 2026 World Cup and failing in the final of the last AFCON, Nigeria will be seeking to stamp their authority as one of the continent’s biggest sides.