Mozambique midfielder Manuel Kambala has brushed aside his team’s poor record against Nigeria, insisting the Mambas have shown enough at AFCON 2025 to believe they can knock the Super Eagles out in the Round of 16, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria head into the knockout clash as group winners, having taken maximum points from three matches. Eric Chelle’s side scored freely but raised a few defensive questions after conceding 4 goals in the group stage, including one against a 10-man Uganda side.
Mozambique, on the other hand, reached the knockout stage the hard way. The Mambas managed just one win from three group games, a dramatic 3–2 victory over Gabon, while falling to Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon.
Still, that lone win was enough to secure a Round of 16 spot, marking their first-ever appearance at this stage of the AFCON.
Speaking ahead of the tie, Kambala said past records mean little to the current Mozambique squad.
“I clearly believe we will advance with the team we have. We have already shown that on the field, we have already demonstrated that we are not just here to participate, we know it will not be an easy game,” the midfielder said in a report by Daily Post.
Historically, the odds lean heavily in Nigeria’s favour. Mozambique have never beaten the Super Eagles, with four losses and one draw in five past encounters. Their only previous AFCON meeting ended in a 3–0 win for Nigeria at the 2010 tournament.
With Nigeria chasing a fourth continental crown and Mozambique coming in with nothing to lose, this Round of 16 clash shapes up as a battle between pedigree and belief, where current form in Morocco could count more than past records.
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