After stumbling at the penultimate hurdle of the Total Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2019, Tunisia and Nigeria are looking for consolation on Wednesday when they face each other at Cairo’s Al Salam Stadium in the third-place playoff.

The match kicks off at 9pm local time (7pm GMT).

Tunisia lost to Senegal 0-1 after extra-time, while Nigeria conceded a last-minute goal to fall 1-2 to Algeria in their semifinal.

The Carthage Eagles reached the semifinal for the first time since winning the title at home in 2004, but couldn’t take the final step.

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Tunisia started on a slow note with three draws in the group stage, 1-1 with Angola and Mali and goalless against Mauritania.

In the round of 16 they needed penalties to oust Ghana after a 1-1 draw. And in the quarterfinals it was all one-way traffic to defeat Madagascar 3-0.

But they had to deal with heartbreak in the penultimate round, losing to Senegal 1-0 after extra-time.

They missed a penalty in the second half, were denied another by VAR, and a headed own goal gave them a sour taste to deal with while waiting for the bronze-medal match.

Meanwhile, three time champions Nigeria wished to add a new star on their green jersey, but their campaign was cut short at the semifinal.

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The Super Eagles started their campaign defeating Burundi 1-0. They then defeated Guinea with the same result, before succumbing to a 2-0 defeat to debutantes Madagascar.

Nigeria then defeated title holders Cameroon 3-2 in the round of 16.

In the quarterfinals they defeated South Africa 2-1, but their way was stopped in the semifinal with a 2-1 defeat to Algeria.

They will now face Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles, looking for a place on the podium.

#CarthageEagles targeting the third place…????#TotalAFCON2019 pic.twitter.com/IgUJxzTn0W— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 16, 2019

WHAT THEY SAID

Alain Giresse (Coach, Tunisia):

Our target was more than just reaching the semifinal, but now we focus on the game against Nigeria and hope to win the third place. I believe this is going to be a psychologically tough encounter because we are not over that defeat from Senegal yet. I cannot say all our players are fit after playing two extra times but we will do our best. This is football and we understand the whole team’s disappointment. But we have to forget that and focus on the Nigeria game.

Mohamed Drager (Defender, Tunisia):

We were just one step from the final but here we play for the third place. We will try to win the bronze medals. Nigeria is a very strong team but we want to leave with a good memory for us and our supporters.

#SuperEagles taking about exiting the #TotalAFCON2019 with the heads lifted???? pic.twitter.com/AkBbgvJalC— CAF (@CAF_Online) July 16, 2019

Gernot Rohr (Coach, Nigeria):

We will keep focused in the third place playoff and hope to sign off with a happy result. I worked in Tunisia but on the pitch this means nothing. Both teams have similar ambitions and many young players who would like to win. Alain Giresse is an experienced coach and I’m always happy to play against him. When you are one of the four best teams on the continent this is a good result and we have to build on it. This is a team with a brilliant future.

Alex Iwobi (Forward, Nigeria):

We always take lessons from our mistakes. We are a young team and hope to return home with the third place. We will enter the game with the needed respect and seriousness.

The Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt was perfectly set up for Mohamed Salah to lead his team to the title on home territory and crown his career but Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez and Senegal’s Sadio Mane have stolen the show.

The two players have been instrumental in leading their sides to Friday’s final at the Cairo International Stadium where Senegal will attempt to win their maiden title and Algeria the first since 1990.

It will be the second time they have met in the current tournament with Algeria outmuscling Senegal to win 1-0 in the group stage.

Salah has been voted Africa’s Player of the Year for the past two years but his interest in the tournament ended in round of 16 as the hosts imploded and were knocked out by South Africa.

The 27-year-old almost seemed to be trying too hard, taking on opposing defences single-handedly as his teammates ran out of ideas.

Senegal, beaten in the 2002 final, and Algeria, on the other hand, have been careful to lift the responsibility off the shoulders of their star players.

“I do not like highlighting players. We need to put a little less focus on Mahrez if we want to make this a big tournament for us,” said Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi at the start of the finals.

Mahrez has responded with three goals, two of them gems.

He produced a delightful touch in controlling a pass before lashing home a left-foot shot in the 3-0 quarterfinal win over Guinea and scored the winner in the semifinal against Nigeria with a stunning free kick deep into stoppage time.

Mane has netted three goals although he has also missed two penalties, prompting him to abdicate responsibility for spot- kicks, but there has been no denying his importance for Senegal.

HAPPY RELATIONSHIP

Neither player had an especially happy relationship with the tournament before this year.

Mahrez scored one goal and played in all four games as Algeria reached the quarterfinals in 2015 where they lost to eventual champions Ivory Coast.

Two years later, Algeria were knocked out in the group stage without winning a game although Mahrez scored twice in the 2-2 draw with Zimbabwe.

Mane, also taking part for the third time, played two matches in 2015 when his side went out in the first round.

Two years ago in Gabon, he scored two goals but could not prevent a quarterfinal elimination by Cameroon, missing the decisive penalty in the shootout.

Although both won major club titles this season – Mahrez the English Premier League with Manchester City and Mane the Champions League with Liverpool – they agreed that winning the Afcon for their countries would be something special.

“To be in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations is something unbelievable,” Mahrez said. “I think we have been very good in this tournament. We scored 12 goals and conceded two, that is the source of our confidence.”

Mane, meanwhile, said beforehand that he would happily swap his Champions League medal for an Afcon one.

“To win for my country, which has never won an Afcon, would be magnificent,” he said. “I am even ready to trade a Champions League against an Afcon. The return to Dakar would be extraordinary. It would be my craziest dream.”

Manchester United’s £89m record signing Paul Pogba said there was “no need” to talk after helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side start their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 win against Perth Glory.

Pogba provided the assist for Rashford in his first game since stating a desire to leave Old Trafford, a view that has been reinforced twice since by his adviser Mino Raiola.

The midfielder declined to speak to reporters after the game, saying there was “no need” to do so.

Real Madrid and Juventus are both interested in the 26-year-old, although neither club has made a bid. United are understood to value Pogba at over £150m.

Pogba was overlooked for the captaincy in Perth as Juan Mata wore the armband after half-time, although Solskjaer said the France midfielder would be considered for the role this season.

“I don’t think that needs explaining, we will discuss that later on,” said Solskjaer, when asked why he was thinking about Pogba for the role.

Barcelona must come clean with Philippe Coutinho over his future, according to his agent Kia Joorabchian, who claims the club have promised the Brazilian will remain at Camp Nou while secretly trying to include him in a deal for Neymar.

In a separate interview with RMC Sport, Joorabchian claimed Andre Cury, Barcelona’s recruiter for South America, is secretly trying to arrange a swap for Neymar with PSG which includes Coutinho as part of the deal.

The agent further questioned the motives of the club, demanding to know what Barcelona’s intentions are with his client.

“The president [Bartomeu] was clear: he had no intention of selling the player, to any club,” Joorabchian told RMC Sport .

“With that, and out of respect for Barcelona’s decision to keep him, we chose not to look at the market for our player and we have not offered the player to other clubs.

“But I learned, and it’s a fact, that Andre Cury is saying totally different things. Andre Cury is pushing for Coutinho to be included in the transfer for Neymar.

“As I said, Coutinho has no offer from any other clubs because we respected Barcelona’s decision, but they do not respect the word they gave to us.

“We have been silent in this period, but it will not be allowed for Barcelona to lie about the player. They must tell the truth!”

Arsenal have made an improved offer in the region of £25m for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, as per reports.

Arsenal’s first bid of £15m was rejected three weeks ago.

Serie A side Napoli are also interested in a deal for the Scotland international.

The 22-year-old was restricted to 21 league appearances for Celtic last term.

Tierney, who is contracted to Celtic until the summer of 2023, was hampered by a hernia problem last season and is currently recovering from surgery.