Super Eagles celebrates a goal during the group stage | Photo: Oluwadamilare Olatoye
BY Remi Sulola
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday evening in Ivory Coast. A place in the final, bragging rights on social media, and the title of ‘footballing giant’ of Africa are some of the offerings at stake when both countries lock horns at Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
The fixture has been dubbed “amapiano derby” after the famous deep-house genre, which originated from South Africa and has been adopted by Nigerian artistes to mesmerising effect.
Both teams are at the peak of their powers after a shaky start to their AFCON campaigns. Nigeria defeated Angola in the quarter-final, and the team has not conceded a goal in their last four games.
Bafana Bafana scaled past Cape Verde via penalty shootout into their first-ever AFCON semi-final since 2000.
Who will triumph in the semi-final between the old foes?
The match will be Nigeria’s 15th semi-final appearance in their 20th AFCON tournament — a record unmatched by any other country.
However, the Eagles have only progressed from one of their last six outings at this stage of the competition.
The team must improve on recent semi-final performances to get past the South Africans.
Much has been said about Jose Peseiro, the Eagles’ head coach, and his tactical resurgence, which has been the bedrock of Nigeria’s sturdy display in Ivory Coast.
However, the team’s wastefulness in front of the goal remains a concern. Despite coming into the competition with top-rated attacking talents, the Eagles have scored just six goals from numerous chances.
They saw off Angola with a goal from Ademola Lookman, while several other opportunities were squandered. The team must be sharper in the third half against South Africa to have any chance of reaching the final.
Ronwen Williams was the hero for the South Africans in the quarter-final. The Mamelodi Sundowns number one stopped four penalty kicks in the shootout to help Bafana Bafana progress.
South Africa had defeated Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, in the previous round.
Hugo Broos, South Africa’s head coach, and his side have shown that they have the tactical acumen and ruggedness to cause an upset for anyone.
Since their loss to Mali in the opening game of AFCON, the Bafana Bafana have been one of the competition’s most impressive sides. Broos, who won the AFCON with Cameroon in 2017, hopes to lead the country to their second-ever continental triumph.
This will be the fourth-ever AFCON meeting between Nigeria and South Africa, with the Super Eagles winning the previous three by an aggregate score of 8-1.
The two countries last met at the AFCON semi-final in 2000, where Nigeria triumphed 2-0 courtesy of a brace from Tijani Babangida.
South Africa has only beaten Nigeria twice in 14 previous meetings at full senior level.
The Eagles are presently ranked 42nd in the world and 6th in Africa by FIFA, while the Bafana Bafana are 66th in the world and 12th on the continent.
Despite Osimhen’s below-par finishing at the competition, Monday night’s news of the Napoli striker’s abdominal discomfort stunned fans, as neither Terem Moffi nor Kelechi Iheanacho have earned game time all tournament.
With the 2023 African Footballer of the Year now declared fit by the medics, Peseiro is expected to stick to his 3-4-3 system, with Lookman and Moses Simon supporting Osimhen.
Nigeria could lose Simon, Ola Aina or Calvin Bassey to suspensions in a possible final if any of the trio is booked on Wednesday.
Also at risk of missing out on a potential final for South Africa are Aubrey Modiba, Grant Kekana and Mothobi Mvala following their yellow cards against Morocco in the round of 16.
Like the Super Eagles, Broos’s men have not conceded since their tournament opener against Namibia, and the AFCON 2017-winning manager is not expected to change the backline that has kept opponents at bay in four consecutive games.
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