Nigeria, Costa Rica set for friendly clash

Nigeria will face 1989 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football champions, Costa Rica, in an international friendly scheduled to hold in November.

This was confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation on its official Twitter handle on Thursday.

The three-time African champions were initially scheduled to play Guinea Bissau in a double-header Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the FIFA international break.

But with the qualifiers postponed until March 2023 by the Confederation of African Football last month, the NFF is busy arranging a grade A friendly for the Eagles.

According to the tweet by the NFF, the game between the two countries will hold at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose on November 10.

“A date in San Jose for the @NGSuperEagles on 10.11.2022. #SoarSuperEagles,” the tweet read.

Both sides have only met once at the senior level and it was also another friendly game in 2011 where the La Tricolor, as they are fondly called, emerged 1-0 winners.

Nigeria recently faced Algeria in an international friendly game in Oran which they lost 2-1. They are also set to face 2016 European champions, Portugal, in another international friendly on November 17.

It will be the first time that Nigeria and Portugal will meet at the senior level even though both countries played against each other three times at the U-20 World Cup with Portugal winning all three meetings (twice in 1989 and 2013).

SOURCE: PUNCH