Mozambique will face the Super Eagles in the round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after losing 2-1 to Cameroon in their final Group F game on Wednesday.
Nigeria finished as Group C winners after winning all three of their matches, while the Mambas of Mozambique finished third in Group F.
Both teams will clash at the Fez Stadium on Monday night for a place in the quarter-finals.
Mozambique took the lead in the first half with a goal from Geny Catamo. The Sporting CP winger cut inside from the right wing and fired a signature strike past Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy to give Mozambique the lead against the run of play.
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However, Nenê, with a bizarre own goal, equalized for Cameroon, and in the second half, Kofane scored a stunning long-range shot to put Cameroon ahead, sealing the 2-1 victory.
In the other game, rigning champion, Ivory Coast came back from two-goal down to defeat Gabon 3-2 in their final Group F game.
Coach Emerse Fae’s side pulled a goal back through Jean-Philippe Krasso, then forced an equaliser via Evann Guessand with six minutes remaining before Toure sealed the win that sets up a Round of 16 clash with Burkina Faso in Marrakech next Tuesday.
On the other hand, the Indomitable Lions will now face South Africa in the Round of 16 on January 4 in Rabat.
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Nice tie lets keep building momentum towards the next phase where the real business will take place.
Mozambique’s style of play.
Mozambique’s national football team, known for its distinct style of play, often features a blend of technical skills, physicality, and strategic organization. Here are some characteristics that define their style:
1. **Defensive Organization**: Mozambique tends to prioritize a solid defensive structure, often employing a compact formation to minimize space for opponents. This helps them absorb pressure and launch counterattacks.
2. **Counter-Attacking Football**: The team often utilizes swift counter-attacks, taking advantage of pacey wingers and forwards to exploit spaces left by opposing defenses.
3. **Technical Skills**: Players from Mozambique typically possess good individual skills, allowing them to maintain possession and execute precise passing sequences. This technical ability is complemented by an emphasis on quick ball movement.
4. **Physical Play**: Athletes from Mozambique often exhibit strong physical attributes, using their strength and agility to challenge opponents and win duels, particularly in midfield battles.
5. **Set Pieces**: Mozambique shows a tactical awareness in set-piece situations, whether defending or attacking. They may rely on height and physical presence to create scoring opportunities from corners and free-kicks.
6. **Adaptability**: The team can adapt its strategy based on the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, whether adjusting to maintain possession or pressing high up the pitch to win the ball back quickly.
Overall, while Mozambique may not be as prominent on the international stage as some other African nations, their style reflects a blend of traditional African football elements with modern tactics.
How to defeat Mozambique.
Defeating Mozambique’s national football team requires a strategic approach that takes into account their strengths and weaknesses. Here are some tactics that could be effective:
1. **Exploit Defensive Gaps**: Mozambique often plays a compact defensive shape. Use quick, incisive passing and off-the-ball movement to draw defenders out of position and create gaps, especially in the channels and between the lines.
2. **Utilize Pace**: Take advantage of speed on the wings. Pacy wingers can exploit the space behind their full-backs and provide width, stretching Mozambique’s defense and allowing for opportunities to cross or cut inside for shots.
3. **Control the Midfield**: Dominating the midfield is crucial. By ensuring possession and maintaining a strong presence in the midfield zone, your team can dictate the pace of the game and limit Mozambique’s counter-attacking opportunities.
4. **Set-Piece Strategy**: Mozambique may have strengths in defending set pieces, but exploiting poorly organized defenses during these situations can yield goals. Use varied routines and strategic positioning to create confusion and capitalize on weaknesses.
5. **High Pressing Game**: Implement a high pressing strategy to put pressure on Mozambique’s defenders when they are building from the back. Forcing mistakes in their defensive third can lead to goal-scoring opportunities.
6. **Analyze Their Key Players**: Identify and focus on neutralizing their key players—those who may be particularly skilled at counter-attacking or creating plays. Assigning specific defensive duties to keep these players quiet can diminish their offensive threat.
7. **Patience in Build-Up**: Mozambique may look to counter-attack quickly, so being patient in the build-up phase is essential. Keeping possession and moving the ball efficiently can help to avoid transitions where they thrive.
8. **Psychological Preparedness**: The psychological aspect of the game is significant. Maintaining composure and staying focused, especially in challenging moments, can be crucial against a team that looks to capitalize on high-pressure situations.
9. **Fitness and Conditioning**: Ensuring your team is well-conditioned can give an advantage, particularly in the later stages of the match. Mozambique may try to exploit defensive lapses due to fatigue, so maintaining high energy levels is key.
By employing these tactics, a team can improve its chances of successfully competing against Mozambique, capitalizing on their weaknesses while neutralizing their strengths.
The similarities between Eguavoen’s tutored Super Eagles of 2022 – you know the one, of course you do, raising expectations to higher heavens and dashing it in the pit of Tunisia in round of 16 – and Chelle’s class of 2025 are far more glaring than one would imagine.
In the last group stage match against Uganda, the Super Eagles played 4-2-4 with one attacking midfielder partnering one defensive midfielder in the middle: similar to Eguavoen’s Aribo-Ndidi combo.
The wafer thin midfield infrastructure lost the Tunisian who powered through to power a dagger straight into the heart of Nigeria’s ambitions, similar, isn’t it similar to to how the Uganda stole behind Dele-Bashiru and Onyedika to tarnish what would have been a perfect performance on the night.
Now I see why Chelle chooses to play a less glamorous but defensively pragmatic Frank Onyeka ahead of Onyedika and Dele-Bashiru (both far more offensively astute) in key encounters.
4-2-4 failed Eguavoen in 2022. Will Chelle retain this formation with its midfield frailties against Mozambique in the round of 16?
This formation will get you goals, no doubt. What, with Ajayi and Bassey’s picture perfect long balls from deep and the ruthlessness of Lookman, Osihmen, Simon, and Adams, the heavens will rain an avalanche of goals alright.
But, will we always be able to outscore opponents? We failed to outscore Congo DR who cut supplies to our lethal forwards by strangling our already fragile midfield.
Chelle might elect to use another formation, I hope he does. He previously used 4-1-3-2 (a variant of the diamond 4-1-2-1-2 with one of the midfielders (Lookman) operating just behind the 2 strikers as the 2 supposed wingers act more like right and left centre midfielders in a narrow structure).
This arrangement was effectively curtailed by Congo who totally emasculated Chukwueze, Iwobi and Onyeka, thereby rendering our midfield infrastructure redundant.
Still, I feel the team has learnt a lesson or two and are now more than capable of wriggling their way out of trouble within the fabric of this same formation.
It is the 4-2-4 used against Uganda that I worry about. Because I wouldn’t want lightning to strike us twice.