₦airaland Forum

Ivory Coast no gree for France!!! 2-1

Amad Diallo!

Guela Doue is taking this game personal.

Goal and Assist! As a RB! The strasbourg man is having a game today!

TheSuperNerd:
Ivory Coast no gree for France!!! 2-1

Amad Diallo!

Bazoumana Toure! What is that naa!!! Should be 3-1.

minfelix:
I think weve met Portugal only once(i may be wrong about this) and that was the disgraceful showing from Jpes and his boys in 2022.
Period when Jpes was starting his job as super eagles coach trying to adopt a play pattern for super eagles which he latter settled for the conservative style he used at the afcon 2023.
Emmanuel Dennis lost a penalty in that match when the score was 2-0…that penalty would have changed the psychology of that game…cos before the penalty chukwu eze was already becoming a terror to the portuguese defense

my bad! , i was thinking we met in the late 80's and late 90's .. but i have checked , it was at the junior level .


thanks for pointing that out

So no French to wipe that gulliver's travel shot to make it to 2-2

List of Africa's most decorated EPL based Players Trophy haul

Didier Drogba: 14
Riyad Mahrez: 12
John Obi Mikel: 11
Yaya Touré: 8
Nwankwo Kanu: 6
Kolo Touré: 6
Mohamed Salah: 7



It is currently hard for any Super Eagles player to dare play for a top 6 EPL team, talk less, top 4.


The two Nigerians that did this did it for London clubs(Chelsea and Arsenal)


If we want to see a repeat of these Nigerian numbers, then one SE player has to not just break into a top 4 team, they must become an integral part across at least 5 seasons without change of managers ending their relevance to the team. That's the standard.


I saw a list of the trophy wins of SE Players across their respective leagues this ended season of 25/26 and my throat got dry. Taye Taiwo na Marseille Legend but none of the SE defenders fit get top club to enterand unseat the player in the position. Na soso mistable clubs or nontop 5 league football.


What's Cypriot League sef? 😤😤

Whatever excuse will be cooked, we need to see SE players back at the top with EPL teams abeg. To not make it an only EPL team, make i add French join.

omo Africa get work to do for this world cup oo
Morocco just have Brazil to contend with

CIV just have Germany to contend with

Senegal just have France and Norway to contend with(gonna be tough for them)

Algeria just have Argentina and Austria to contend with(tough match for them)

Capeverde have Uruguay and Spain to fight(tough one for them)

DRC have Portugal and Colombia to fight(aint gon be easy for them)

Egypt have Belgium to fight

Tunisia have Netherland,Japan and Sweden to fight, omo they can’t survive abeg

Ghana have England and Croatia to fight(omo tough one)

SA has Mexico,Czech and S/Korea to battle with(omo tight corner for them)

minfelix:
abeg wetin b E.U🤣

Emotional Unstable Males.

It looks like afcon will be as tough as the Euros going forward. See quality in the powerhouses and they'll still get more from the foreign borns. No wonder Morocco wanted to use ojoro this year

opes:
Brighton is still the best for him.

He shouldn't associate himself with Chelsea or man city for now before they use start loaning him anyhow to their feeder teams. Mitoma is getting older so his agent should get him to Brighton

Senegal will beat this France team

Wisniewski cant be "signed". This is not club football. 😂😂😂

Odunayaw:
So no French to wipe that gulliver's travel shot to make it to 2-2

SymphonyRad:
Senegal will beat this France team

Don't use the friendlies to judge. The world cup would be a different ball game.

Same Senegal that US used to wipe the floor!! But again, when the WC starts, we shall separate the boys from the men.

Kilishihunter:
It looks like afcon will be as tough as the Euros going forward. See quality in the powerhouses and they'll still get more from the foreign borns. No wonder Morocco wanted to use ojoro this year

This is why am Not happy seeing our best players missing out on these friendlies as the Afcon is becoming too tough and some African countries are almost at par with some European teams. All our players need to be mentally prepared well ahead and be ready for tougher competition

Beyond Limits, only Naija side in 2026 Gothia Cup. Recall they are defending Champs in the Boys U17 category

Confirmed: Here Are the Teams in Gothia Puma Trophy Boys 2026

Gothia Cup brings together some of the world’s most exciting academies and youth teams in Gothenburg for the Gothia Puma Trophy Boys. – It feels fantastic to be able to offer all football fans a line-up like this, says Martin Laanemets, competition manager for the Gothia Cup.

This year’s Gothia Puma Trophy features teams from Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. Among the participants are renowned academies such as FC Tokyo from Japan, Seattle Sounders from the USA, Right To Dream from Ghana and ASEC from Ivory Coast. At the same time, several of Sweden’s leading academies will be taking part. For many years, the tournament has been an important meeting place for the elite players of the future, with several former participants later making the step up to professional football and international duty.

– The Gothia Puma Trophy is one of the most exciting tournaments during Gothia Cup week. It brings together some of the world’s best academies and youth teams. For the players, it is a unique opportunity to test themselves against international opposition and gain experience that they will carry with them throughout their careers, says Martin Laanemets, competition manager for the Gothia Cup.

The international presence is stronger than ever, with teams from 16 different nations taking part.
– It is fantastic to see the strong appeal the tournament has around the world. We have teams from four continents travelling to Gothenburg to compete. The combination of top international academies and Sweden's best academy teams means we can expect a tournament of a very high level, says Martin Laanemets.


Gothia Puma Trophy Boys 2026
Ivory Coast
ASEC
Racing Abidjan

Gambia
Gambinos Stars

Ghana
Right To Dream

India
Sudeva Delhi FC

Japan
FC Tokyo

Mali
Etoiles Du Mandé

Moldova
Academia Rebaja

Nigeria
Beyond Limits

Norway
Aalesunds FK

Peru
AD Cantolao

Portugal
Vitoria FC

Senegal
Cayor Foot

Spain
Groseko Elite

Sweden
BK Häcken
Djurgårdens IF
Hammarby IF
IF Brommapojkarna
IF Elfsborg
IFK Göteborg
Mjällby AIF

Uruguay
AUF Academy

USA
NorCal FC
Seattle Sounders


Source: Gothia Cup

Meliforme:
Nwabali beats De Gea in anticipation and aerial claims even when De Gea was in his prime.
Nwabali is that good.

Nwabali's ball distribution is one of his let downs and his balance is not as fluid.

I believe i am one of the occupants of the front seats when it comes to singing praises of Nwabali.
When many were clamouring for Arthur Okonkwo as a competition to Nwabali i rubbished the clamour because Nwabali is clearlly ahead in almost everything.

When concerns are on modern goalkeeping, Okoye's attributes makes him the better pick. Okoye's balance is more fluid, making him a better candidate for secondary saves, meaning that the saves Okoye made yesterday Nwabali might struggle to make due to having a more static balance.
(Fluid and Static balance have both their pros and cons).

Nwabali beats De Gea in what? Like I said earlier Nwabali was the biggest beneficiary of that game you guys now have a bloated sense of his value

I don't expect much from the CAF reps in this World Cup despite the 10 slots. Based on their groups quality and personal acumen, i only see 2 going to the KO stages

CIV and maybe Algeria


The group Senegal and Morocco are in will be dicey.

Goke7:
This is why am Not happy seeing our best players missing out on these friendlies as the Afcon is becoming too tough and some African countries are almost at par with some European teams. All our players need to be mentally prepared well ahead and be ready for tougher competition

Well they may have their reasons. Maybe unwinding after the long season or seeing no use for it since we're not going to the world cup. Poland wouldn't have drawn against us with our afcon squad. I hope we continue to work on our midfield since the defence and forward are strong to compete

Midfield Generalissimo, Alex Iwobi have joined the team in Portugal.

Samuel Chukwueze expected in Portugal later today (June 5) after the successful burial of his beloved mum.

Flashback Friday.... Iwobi, Uncle Jay Jay and Dad, Chuba Iwobi.

John Mikel Obi vs Blaise Matuidi.... lol

🇫🇷Blaise Matuidi

vs

🇳🇬John Mikel Obi pic.twitter.com/d3eR7OsFpR

— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) June 4, 2026

Mehn Galatasaray's Wilfried Singo really matched Mbappe pace for pace and power for power to claw that ball away to safety.

Cette action de Wilfried Singo 🇨🇮👏🏾❤️ pic.twitter.com/HB9jV26uTP

— PROM’IVOIRE 🇨🇮 (@Prom_Ivoire) June 4, 2026

daveP:
I don't expect much from the CAF reps in this World Cup despite the 10 slots. Based on their groups quality and personal acumen, i only see 2 going to the KO stages

CIV and maybe Algeria


The group Senegal and Morocco are in will be dicey.

Morocco will chop Scotland and Haiti like fufu….Senegal group is tough sha(France and Norway)

daveP:
List of Africa's most decorated EPL based Players Trophy haul

Didier Drogba: 14
Riyad Mahrez: 12
John Obi Mikel: 11
Yaya Touré: 8
Nwankwo Kanu: 6
Kolo Touré: 6
Mohamed Salah: 7



It is currently hard for any Super Eagles player to dare play for a top 6 EPL team, talk less, top 4.


The two Nigerians that did this did it for London clubs(Chelsea and Arsenal)


If we want to see a repeat of these Nigerian numbers, then one SE player has to not just break into a top 4 team, they must become an integral part across at least 5 seasons without change of managers ending their relevance to the team. That's the standard.


I saw a list of the trophy wins of SE Players across their respective leagues this ended season of 25/26 and my throat got dry. Taye Taiwo na Marseille Legend but none of the SE defenders fit get top club to enterand unseat the player in the position. Na soso mistable clubs or nontop 5 league football.


What's Cypriot League sef? 😤😤

Whatever excuse will be cooked, we need to see SE players back at the top with EPL teams abeg. To not make it an only EPL team, make i add French join.

Salah won more than 7. How about Salomon Kalou and Michael Essien?

Odunayaw:
May this guy be a late bloomer after all

😏😒

EElopa:
SuperNead, I love your analysis on this forum, but you're wrong here. In mathematics there is a subject called the probability of an event happening. That clip you showed is Pickford pulling off a world-class save. If the exact event were to happen 10 times in a row, the probability of Pickford saving that attempt 10 times in a row is probably less than 10 percent. If Pickford had conceded that goal, no reasonable person would have blamed him for it. That goal that Maduka Okeye conceded was savable, but it would have been an absolute world-class save, and this is why no one can objectively blame him for conceding a goal when the odd of him saving that goal is less than 10 percent.

gbam!!!

Rewatching Eric Chelle's interview Clip during the Unity Cup on BascoVanVeli's Naijabiasfootball channel on Youtube got me thinking deeply and it made me realise that the man is not one bit reactionary and he indeed has his trusted core.

He stressed... "It is difficult to enter into the national team (of Nigeria) if you see all the positions..."

He then goes on to mention names in certain key positions that makes them the standards in those positions in his eyes...

"...You want to play in CB, you have Calvin Bassey, you have Semi Ajayi, Benjamin Frederick, Igoh Ogbu, Emmanuel Fernandez..."

"...You want to play in fullbacks, you have Ola Aina, Bruno Onyemeachi, Osayi-Samuel, Zaidu..."

"...you want to play in midfield, you have the maestro, the magician, Alex Iwobi... so in reality, you have TO BE BETTER THAN ALL OF THESE GUYS TO ENTER INTO THAT TEAM"

"...You want to play as a striker? VICTOR OSIMHEN IS THE BEST STRIKER IN THE WORLD!"

"...so it is not a Present! You have to give everything...."





Pointers:

✅️ Benjamin Frederick has been out of action since November 2025. We are in June 2026 but Chelle made these statements in Late May 2026 and he most definitely cant wait to welcome Benjamin Frederick back and reinstall his 1st choice CB pair.

✅️ He obviously rates Fernandez highly. Fernandez had only played 1.5 games at the time he said those words above.

✅️ Ola Aina is not done with the Super Eagles. And Chelle is not done with him. He is still Chelle's 1st choce in that RB role. Expect his return during the AfconQs provided he is fit then.

✅️ Zaidu did have a bad game vs Poland and I am sure Chelle sees that. He made this statement before Zaidu's stinker vs Poland but he wont just drop Zaidu until he sees and is sure an option at LB is ACTUALLY BETTER than Zaidu. I am certain Chelle will keep his words and indeed bring you in if you are better or offer something unique.

✅️ He did not mention Lookman but that is because he did not touch on all positions extensively. His focus to drive home his point was limited to CB, Fullbacks, MF and CF. He did not mention wingers, SS, GK.
Even in midfield, he was more specific about the Creative side, not the defensive side (CDMs). That is why he used the words, "Maestro" and "Magician".

✅️ It is not a secret that Chelle wants fighters. Warriors. Tireless Runners. So if you show you have that dog in you, Chelle will always keep you in the radar of invite options.

Abdullahi Ibrahim Bewene took his chance with both hands and dropped a performance Chelle will never forget. A first cap rookie finishing the game, playing all 90mins with his heads held high in the end.

This is a message to all other young talents (Naija bred or Foreign-born dual-nats in European leagues) yet to get a Super Eagles chance and even to the homebased pros/lads in the Nigerian league system. You have to show you are better. You have to show you have the fire and desire to fight and leave a mark in the Chelle System of play.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are on a serious resurgence Journey and the NFF has a chance to keep this momentum going by kindly and eventually extending the contract duration of Coach Eric Sekou Chelle.

I believe they will.... coz something big is cooking in the realms of international football Post-World Cup and it has the Super Eagles written all over its rising aroma. One that NFF noses cannot ignore.

Zaidu is hard to beat on 1 Vs 1 sha

TheSuperNerd:
Zaidu was so bad yesterday that even Basketball folks left basketball and began imagining wicked football scenarios.... Zaidu!!! Change or Ship out!

I bring Good tidings to E.U Males

Star-studded teams like France don't always live up to expectations. Everyone is too big to mark the ball. Ivory Coast fought them on the pitch. That Omar Diakite guy is a fighter.

Subzero047:
Nwabali beats De Gea in what? Like I said earlier Nwabali was the biggest beneficiary of that game you guys now have a bloated sense of his value

I am very sorry for you.
Nwabali beats the De Gea in anticipation and aerial claims. That is the undiluted truth. Your contracted estimation of him will not change it.
Nwabali also beats Okoye in the same category, but my preference is with Okoye for other goalkeeping reasons.

I have known De Gea even before Nwabali.

Nwabali's club situation is not a true testament of his abilities.

I agree. Surely one of the defensive attributes Chelle rates him for.

Ihenzy:
Zaidu is hard to beat on 1 Vs 1 sha