Ahead of Super Eagles’ friendly against Algeria on Friday in Austria, some fans have urged the national team to punish the Desert Foxes in retaliation over their semi-final loss to the North Africans at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Riyad Mahrez broke Nigerian the hearts with a sublime free-kick in added time as the Foxes progressed to the final with a 2-1 win.
That defeat is still fresh in the minds of Nigerian fans, with many urging the three-time African champions to get their pound of flesh back in Austria.
Emerenjo Steve, a cobbler, said, “Eagles should beat them very well because the Algerians they stopped us from reaching the final of the AFCON in 2019,” Emerenjo said.
Another Eagles fan, Wale Alawode added, “Those Algerians dealt with us in 2019. It’s our turn to deal with them too,” Alawode said.
Dare Fadare, a businessman, says there’s nothing friendly in Friday’s encounter, saying the Eagles should take the game as a cup final.
“They (Algeria) beat us to the final and AFCON Cup in Egypt and we need to retaliate,” Fadare said.
The Elephants of Ivory Coast was the initial team that the Eagles were supposed to play against before the Ivory Coast football authorities pulled out and the Fennecs replaced them.
