Algeria vs Nigeria: AFCON's Best Defence Meets Sharpest Attack
by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Geoffrey Ejiga
The Fennecs Look to Shut Down Nigeria's Ruthless Attack
Algeria has been rock solid at the back throughout the 2025 African Cup of Nations. Just one goal conceded (the joint-fewest) in four matches is no small feat, especially when you consider the quality of opposition they've faced. Their defensive organization has been on point, and they've made it incredibly difficult for teams to create clear chances.
However, they haven't faced anything like what Nigeria will throw at them. The Super Eagles have been absolutely ruthless in front of goal, banging in 12 goals already (the most) in just four games. That's three per game on average, and it's not like they're padding stats against weak teams.
Tunisia recently set a world record, qualifying for the World Cup without conceding a goal, but still succumbed to three in the space of 23 minutes against Nigeria. Algeria's backline will need to be nothing short of perfect when they face Nigeria’s frontline, stacked with two of the last three African Player of the Year winners and several other European stars.
Lookman has seven goal contributions in three matches (2.3 G/A per game), which makes him a legit contender for player of the tournament. Osimhen is finally firing with four contributions of his own. Then there's Akor Adams, who just broke the ice with three goal contributions in the last game versus Mozambique. That's a lot of firepower for Algeria to deal with, and one mistake could be all it takes.
Nigeria's Defence Could Be Its Achilles Heel
For all their attacking brilliance, Nigeria have been leaking goals game after game. In fact, their latest game against Mozambique is the first clean sheet they’ve kept all tournament. For context, the Super Eagles have conceeded four goals so far, which is as many as they allowed in the 2023 AFCON, where they emerged as runners-up.
Four goals conceded in four games isn't terrible. But it's not exactly the kind of defensive solidity you want facing an Algeria side with the likes of Riyad Mahrez and Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza in the quarterfinal.
The former Man City can do it all, from creating spaces to scoring goals to winning penalties. He’s just the man to punish the defensive errors, which Nigeria has shown they're capable of making. Mahrez has now scored three goals in three games.
And alongside him in the striking position is Maza, who’s been equally productive with three goal contributions. The Super Eagles have faced their fair share of quality up until this point. But Nigeria will need to be much tighter at the back than they've been so far, especially in a KO game where a single goal can change everything.
Against teams like Mozambique or even Uganda and Tanzania in the earlier rounds, Nigeria could afford to concede and just outscore their opponents. Against Algeria, that's a dangerous game to play, as The Fennecs don't need five chances to score a goal.
