The highly anticipated international friendly between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the world champions Argentina has unfortunately been canceled. Reports indicate that the cancellation stemmed from logistical challenges, particularly the short time frame to process visas for the Nigerian delegation. Initially scheduled to be held in China, the venue was shifted to the United States of America following a dispute between Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Chinese authorities. As a result of this cancellation, Argentina will now face Costa Rica instead of the Super Eagles. Additionally, they have another friendly lined up against El Salvador in March. For Nigeria, this setback means they will need to find an alternative opponent as they gear up for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.

  South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has shed light on his inability to save any penalties during his team's 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final match against Nigeria's Super Eagles earlier this month. Despite his heroics in the shootout victory against Cape Verde in the AFCON quarterfinals, where he played a pivotal role for Bafana Bafana, Williams faced challenges in the semifinal clash with Nigeria. The Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper was unable to thwart any of the spot kicks he faced as the Super Eagles emerged victorious with a 4-2 shootout win, advancing to the final where they ultimately fell to Ivory Coast in a close encounter. Reflecting on the match and his approach to penalty-saving, Williams disclosed that he attempted to psych out some of the Super Eagles' penalty takers, but his tactics did not yield the desired results. "Obviously, when facing penalties, there are three possibilities – down the middle, left, or right. However, regulations...