AFCON 2021: Jonas Azevedo Mendes, the Guinea Bissau national team captain, has stated that they would rather ‘die’ than lose today’s encounter against the Super Eagles.
Mendes, the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, stated that they will fight the Super Eagles with all their might and that they are determined not to lose the match.
“We know Nigeria is a good team,” Mendes replied when asked if there was a specific player in the Eagles team they were looking for. It would be a mistake to single out any one player.
“We’re paying equal attention to all of them,” he said.
The goalkeeper, who was born in Portugal and played for Beira-Mar in the Primera Liga, has spent the majority of his career in Portuguese football’s third division.
In the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations campaign, Guinea Bissau has been a revelation.
The tropical republic on the West African coast has not played as underdogs in a group that includes African giants such as Nigeria, Egypt, and Sudan.
They drew with Sudan before falling to Egypt in a contentious match. They’re now in sixth place among the worst losers. They will qualify for the round of 16 if they defeat the Super Eagles.
Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on Guinea Bissau in the final match of Group D, on Wednesday by 8:00 pm CAT at the Stade Roumdé Adjia in Garoua, Cameroon.
GROUP B STANDING
| Teams | PL | GD | PTS |
| Nigeria | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Egypt | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 | -1 | 1 |
| Sudan | 2 | -2 | 1 |
Should the Super Eagles win today, they will be solidifying their position at the top of group D table maintaining a 100% record for the very first time in their history.
The Super Eagles set a new AFCON qualification record
Nigeria’s Super Eagles beat Sudan 3-1 to set a new record and advance to the AFCON Last 16 for the first time. As a result of their victory, the Super Eagles will play in the Round of 16 for the first time.
For the first time in Africa Cup of Nations history, the Super Eagles won their opening two matches in consecutive tournaments, according to the Confederation of African Football.
Samuel Chukwueze, Taiwo Awoniyi, and man of the match Simon Moses scored for the three-time African Champions, before Walieldin Safour reduced the deficit with a second-half penalty.
Nigeria came into the game off the back of a 1-0 win over Egypt, while Sudan held Guinea Bissau to a goalless draw.
Nigeria has won ten of its past twelve Africa Cup of Nations games (L2), while also holding six clean sheets.
Sudan had only won one of their previous 14 Africa Cup of Nations games (D6 L7), dating back to the 1972 edition, when they drew 0-0 with Guinea-Bissau in their opener.
Nigeria won their opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in a row (1-0 against Egypt), after losing their first match in four of their previous five appearances (W1 D1 L3).
