After stumbling at the penultimate hurdle of the Total Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019, Tunisia and Nigeria are looking for reconciliation on Wednesday when they face each other at the Cairo-based Al Salam Stadium in the third-place playoff (start 21h00).
Tunisia lost to Senegal 1-0 after extra-time, while Nigeria conceded a last-minute goal to fall 2-1 to Algeria in the semifinal.
Tunisia's Carthage Eagles reached the semifinal for the first time since winning the title at home in 2004, but couldn’t take the final step. Tunisia started on a slow note with three draws in the group stage, 1-1 with Angola and Mali and goalless against Mauritania.
In the Round of 16, they needed penalties to oust Ghana after a 1-1 draw. And in the quarterfinals, it was all one-way traffic to defeat Madagascar 3-0. But they had to deal with heartbreak in the penultimate round losing to Senegal 1-0 after extra-time.
The 🥉is up for grabs tonight during the clash of the eagles - #CarthageEagles🆚 #SuperEagles #TotalAFCON2019 pic.twitter.com/VdKDqqRcKi
— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 17, 2019
Missing a penalty in the second half and being declined another by VAR, besides a headed own goal gave them some sour taste to deal with waiting for the bronze medals match.
Meanwhile, three-time champions Nigeria wished to add a new star on their green jersey, but their campaign was cut short at the semifinal.
The Super Eagles started their campaign defeating Burundi 1-0. They then defeated Guinea with the same result, before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to debutants Madagascar. Nigeria then defeated title-holders Cameroon 3-2 in the Round of 16.
In the quarterfinals, they defeated South Africa 2-1, but their way was stopped at the semifinal with a 2-1 defeat to Algeria. They will now face Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles looking for a place on the podium.
African News Agency