Club Friendlies: Japan vs Nigeria

One of the matches in the third round of the group stage of the Olympic football tournament will take place today, 31st July, in Bordeaux, where Japan and Nigeria will face off.

Japan

In Asia, the tickets to the Paris Olympic Games were contested in February 2024. The Japanese national team secured second place in the qualifying tournament, earning the right to compete in the Olympic tournament. Moreover, Japan entered the Paris Games in excellent form, having gone unbeaten in their last four matches.

In the first round, Japan attempted to challenge the reigning World Champions, Spain, even scoring first in the 13th minute. However, the Spaniards quickly equalized and then scored the winning goal towards the end of the match. In the second round, Japan caused an upset. The Asian team conceded early in the second half but scored twice in injury time to snatch victory.

Nigeria

The Nigerian team secured their ticket to the Paris Olympics through the African qualifying tournament. In the final qualification, the “Super Falcons” triumphed over South Africa with an aggregate score of 1-0. It’s noteworthy that Nigeria had an extended unbeaten run, but they lost to Canada in their last friendly match before the Olympics.

The Olympic tournament hasn’t started well for Nigeria either. In the first round, Nigeria lost narrowly to Brazil, conceding the only goal in the closing stages of the first half. In the match against Spain, the African team held their ground until the 85th minute but eventually conceded.

Interesting Match Details and Head-To-Head Facts

The teams have faced each other three times, with Japan winning the last two encounters.

• In 2004, the teams played in the Olympic Games, and Nigeria secured a 1-0 victory.
• In none of the three matches played did the “Both Teams to Score” bet win.