There was little to get the blood pumping in Wednesday's Afcon third-place playoff, aside the Shanghai Shenhua man creating a bit of history
Perhaps there is a deeper psychology, beyond the obvious, to Nigeria’s excellence in third-place playoff matches at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Never before has a Nigerian team lost this particular fixture at the Afcon. Eight matches, eight wins; that’s more than total final appearances – seven – out of which only three were won. For some reason, when no one can be bothered anymore, Nigeria show up.
One might say, of course, that it is precisely the ability to put on game faces when the pressure is off that means Nigeria has a losing record in finals.