Zambia vs. Nigeria: A historical perspective
These two have crossed paths quite frequently on the way to glory through the years, but this time, there’s a World Cup berth in the balance.
It is impossible to speak of the shared history between Zambia and Nigeria without harking to the final of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations. In sprawling Tunis, on the coast of the Mediterranean, Emmanuel Amuneke struck twice to deliver Nigeria’s second continental title.
It is particularly poignant because of the backdrop, and not that of the city.
It should have been a meeting of two Golden Generations: Nigeria were on the up, and had built a team that, two decades on, remains a reference. Chipolopolo themselves had shot into the consciousness following the Olympic Games in Seoul six years prior, during which they thumped tournament favourites Italy 4-0 on their way to winning their group.
Instead, it was a reformed Zambian side, no thanks to the 1993 air tragedy which claimed the lives of 18 players, six of whom were part of that 1988 team. Catharsis would come eighteen years later, and in the most fitting of venues – Libreville, the last fuelling stop for that ill-fated Zambian Air Force plane.
While Zambia had been forced to watch on as the Super Eagles celebrated in 1994, Nigeria was conspicuous by her absence in 2012, tripped up by Guinea in the qualifying rounds. The Chipolopolo may have triumphed in the typically exhilarating fashion of the underdog, but a look back to an encounter two years earlier should have served fair warning.
The 2010 Nations Cup in Angola rounded out Egypt’s continental dominance over the latter half of the decade. Zambia, led by a little-known dapper Frenchman named Herve Renard, only made it as far as the last eight before going out on penalties. However, it was the manner in which they troubled their more star-studded Nigerian counterparts in that quarter final that caught the eye.
By the end, it was the Super Eagles hanging on for penalties, winded and wilting in the heat of a 120-minute long Zambian onslaught.
Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama pulled out all the stops, and was the hero of the shootout as Nigeria advanced, but the battle scars were evident in the semi-final, as a turgid and wheezing Nigeria team failed to rally after going behind to Ghana. They may have gone home early, but even then there was a sense of flexing, of coming together within the Chipolopolo setup.
Zambia would fittingly enjoy their next shootout rather more, upsetting perennial favourites Ivory Coast to hoist the continental trophy for the first time in their history.
A year on, the Super Eagles sprung a surprise of their own, winning the 2013 edition created to shift the timing of the Afcon from even to odd years.
Again, both sides met, this time in the group stage.
Current captain Mikel John Obi bobbled a penalty off target in the first half, before Emmanuel Emenike put Nigeria ahead. Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene then seized on a mistake by an errant Ogenyi Onazi to score the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 85th minute.
It was the second draw in a row for the Super Eagles, and marked a turning point in the tournament for Stephen Keshi’s side: they won every game after, conceding only twice more.
The decision of Caf to award a place at the 2013 Confederation Cup to the winner of the 2013 Afcon, rather than the 2012 edition, also added an undercurrent of friction between both nations.
Interestingly, considering the profile of both sides, the record in head-to-head encounters hardly embarrasses the Zambians. There have been 16 meetings between Nigeria and Zambia since 1973, with Nigeria winning six and drawing five. However, in competitive games, there is a clearer advantage, as Nigeria has won five of 12.
If this gives the impression that the Southern African side are often a hard nut to crack, that impression is certainly true.
One would have to go back 26 years for the last time Nigeria beat Zambia by a two-goal margin in a competitive match; indeed, Zambia may have won fewer games, but when they have it has tended to be emphatic. Twice in a one-year span in the early 80s, Zambia meted out three-goal thumpings, the latter coming at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations, with Nigeria as defending champions!
With all this shared history between both nations, it is a wonder that this will be their first ever meeting in a qualifying series. Neither side was able to build on their surprise Afcon win, and have undergone significant upheaval since. Looked at that way, Sunday’s meeting in Ndola is the alignment of two dying stars.
