Niger were thrashed 5-0 by hosts Algeria in the semi-final encounter on Tuesday, while Madagascar suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Senegal, a day later.
Follow Us
Niger and Madagascar will go head-to-head in the African Nations championship third place playoff match at Miloud Hadefi Stadium on Friday night. Niger were thrashed 5-0 by hosts Algeria in the semi-final encounter on Tuesday, while Madagascar suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Senegal, a day later. Not many would have expected these two nations to reach this far in the tournament. These two teams have faced each other only on two occasions. The last meeting was in 2021, which ended in a goalless draw, while two years before that, Madagascar secured a convincing 6-2 win.
🇳🇪 Niger 🆚 Madagascar 🇲🇬
🏟️ Stade Olympique d’Oran
🏆#TotalEnergiesCHAN2022 third-place playoff
🕔 20:00 GMT+1Who will claim the bronze medal in today’s encounter? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/dlkoPdgpvN
— MARHABA (@CAF_Online) February 3, 2023
Niger secured a top spot in Group E ahead of Cameroon and defeated Ghana 2-0 to enter the last four of the competition. Imarana Seyni Bara opened the scoring inside the opening 11 minutes, before Boubacar Hainikoye doubled the lead, four minutes into the second half, and sealed the win for the Menas. However, they were left red faced in the semi-final match as Algeria netted five times against them. First half strikes from Ayoub Abdellaoui, Aymen Amhious and a Katakore Boureima own goal left Niger trailing 3-0 at half-time. After the break, Soufiane Bayazid put the icing on the cake. It was Dama Gazelle’s heaviest defeat since November.
Madagascar, on the other hand, saw their fairy-tale run come to an end courtesy of losing to Senegal at the Nelson Mandela Stadium. Pape Diallo’s lone goal inside the opening five minutes was enough to separate the two sides and put Ramuald Rakotondrabe’s men to the sword. The result ended Barea’s 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and the run included seven victories.
Niger Probable line-up: Djibo, Garba, Karaoke, Solely, Adamou, Iboun, Aboubacar, Seyni, Moudou, Salissou, Hanikoye
Madagascar probable line-up: Razakanirina, Rabarijaona, Rakotonirina, Tantely, Nirina, Andriamanjato, Andriamirado, Tokinantenaina, Rafanomezantosa, Raza, Razafindrakoto
Niger
| Opponents | Score |
| Algeria | 5-0 (L) |
| Ghana | 2-0 (W) |
| Cameroon | 1-0 (W) |
| Congo | 0-0 (D) |
| Mauritania | 2-0 (L) |
Madagascar
| Opponents | Score |
| Senegal | 1-0 (L) |
| Mozambique | 3-1 (W) |
| Sudan | 0-3 (W) |
| Morocco | 0-3 (W) |
| Ghana | 2-1 (W) |
| Last 2 match-results | Score |
| Madagascar draw Niger | 0-0 |
| Madagascar beat Niger | 2-6 |
The African Nations Championship match between Niger and Madagascar will take place at Miloud Hadefi Stadium on Saturday at 12:30 am IST.
| Niger vs Madagascar | Key Details |
| Date | February 3 (Algeria) |
| Venue | Miloud Hadefi Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Niger | 8:00 pm (Friday) |
| Kickoff time in Madagascar | 10:00 pm (Friday) |
The live telecast of the African Nations Championship match between Niger and Madagascar can be seen on Supersport GOtv Select 2, Supersport Football Plus ROA, DStv Now, Canal + Sport 1 Afrique. Besides, those in Madagascar can catch the live action via DStv Now, SuperSport Gotv Select 2, StarTimes App, SuperSport Football Plus ROA.
