With their defence having been breached only once after five matches in this tournament, and considering their vast superiority in the record of previous encounters, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have the favourite tag going into Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final against South Africa in Bouake.

Wednesday’s game will be the 15^th clash between both countries at full international level. Nigeria have won seven of the previous 14 matches, with five of those matches drawn and two won by South Africa.

Apart from having to deal with the incredible energy, effervescence and pace of Africa Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, another major problem that the Bafana Bafana will be up against early, in-game and at the latter stages is the intractability of wing-terrors Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon.

Lookman, with three goals in the tournament so far (all coming in the knockout rounds), plus assisting Osimhen to score the equalizer against Equatorial Guinea, and Simon (with two assists) can be fleeting and entirely unpredictable for any defence, with both switching wings at will.

A stingy rearguard, marshalled by on-field captain William Ekong, has been able to provide all the answers to a number of tricky questions by the opposition in their last four matches, and looks as solid as the Berlin Wall at the height of its glory. 

Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who plays his club football in South Africa, and who was thrown into the forefront as number one at this competition despite only one previous cap, said he would have a sweet day stopping all efforts by the Bafana Bafana and then seeing them shunted to the third-place match.

“I know them and they know me. It will be an interesting evening in Bouake.”

Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Zaidu Sanusi and Olaoluwa Aina are the other pegs in that rearguard, and the attack-minded Aina offers even more problems for the 1996 champions.  

Ranked 42^nd in the world and 12^th in Africa (as against South Africa’s global ranking of 66^th and 12^th in the world), the Super Eagles are unbeaten in 10 competitive matches over the past 10 months, and even achieved a rare win in a friendly game when they edged Mozambique in Portugal in October 2023.

As far as the Africa Cup of Nations go, Nigeria is aiming for a fourth star on its crest, while the Bafana (Boys) are only aiming for a second triumph, following their win on home soil 28 years ago. Even that win has always been downplayed by Nigerians as it happened in the absence of Cup holders Nigeria, who were stopped from travelling to the Rainbow Nation by military strongman Sani Abacha following a spat with President Nelson Mandela over the execution of environmental rights activist Ken Saro Wiwa and some others in November 1995.

The first meeting between both countries was on 10^th October 1992, when Richard Owubokiri opened the floodgates of goals in a 4-0 win for Nigeria at the National Stadium, Lagos. Rashidi Yekini scored a brace. It was a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. The return leg at the FBN Stadium in Johannesburg ended scoreless.

Nigeria spanked South Africa 2-0 in the semi-finals of the 2000 AFCON they co-hosted with Ghana, with Tijani Babangida scoring both goals, and four years later, an Eagles’ team wounded by Morocco in its first match descended heavily on the Bafana, beating the latter 4-0 in a group phase match in Monastir, Tunisia.

Four years ago, in the AFCON quarter-finals, the Eagles edged the Bafana 2-1 in Cairo, with the goals scored by Samuel Chukwueze and William Ekong. Both players will be in Bouake with Ekong to lead the squad on the field and Chukwueze likely to play some part in the proceedings.

NIGERIA, SOUTH AFRICA IN HISTORY

10 Oct 1992: Nigeria 4 South Africa 0 (1994 WCq, Lagos)

16 Jan 1993: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 (1994 WCq, Johannesburg)

10 Feb 2000: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 (AFCON semi-final, Lagos)

31 Jan 2004: Nigeria 4 South Africa 0 (AFCON finals, Monastir, Tunisia)

17 Nov 2004: South Africa 2 Nigeria 1 (International Friendly, Durban)

1 June 2008: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 (2010 FIFA WCq, Abuja)

6 Sept 2008: South Africa 0 Nigeria 1 (2010 FIFA WCq, Port Elizabeth)

14 Aug 2013: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (International Friendly, Johannesburg)

10 Sept 2014: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 (2015 AFCON qualifier, Johannesburg)

19 Nov 2014: Nigeria 2 South Africa 2 (2015 AFCON qualifier, Uyo) 

29 Mar 2015: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (International Friendly, Durban)

10 June 2017: Nigeria 0 South Africa 2 (2019 AFCON qualifier, Uyo)

17 Nov 2018: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (2019 AFCON qualifier, Johannesburg)

10 July 2019: Nigeria 2 South Africa 1 (2019 AFCON q-final, Cairo)

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Sunday the termination of Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria’s contract, just a week after Egypt’s disappointing last-16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the Ivory Coast. Vitoria’s contract, initially set to run until the 2026 World Cup, was cut short due to Egypt’s underwhelming performance in the AFCON, where they were eliminated in a penalty shootout by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The EFA revealed that Vitoria, along with his entire coaching staff, has been relieved of their duties. Mohamed Youssef, a former coach of Al Ahly who led the team to the African Champions League title in 2013, will take over on an interim basis. The statement from EFA also mentioned that they would consider the CVs of foreign coaches for a potential permanent appointment.

Rui Vitoria took charge of Egypt in 2022, inheriting a team facing a decline in form after reaching the AFCON final in Cameroon. Despite a promising start, securing a place in the AFCON finals and winning their first two World Cup qualifiers, Egypt’s lackluster performances in the Ivory Coast led to their premature exit from the tournament.

Vitoria joins a list of coaches, including Djamel Belmadi of Algeria, Tom Saintfiet of Gambia, Chris Hughton of Ghana, Jalel Kadri of Tunisia, Adel Amrouche of Tanzania, and Jean-Louis Gasset of Ivory Coast, who have departed following the AFCON.

“All we are saying give us more goals” is a clarion call that is very popular among Nigerian football fans. Super Eagles’ coach, Jose Peseiro seems to have subscribed to the chant.

According to CAFonline, the Nigeria manager has called on his side to be more clinical up front despite boasting the strongest defence at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Super Eagles are into the semi-finals after a 1-0 win over Angola which represented their fourth straight clean sheet at the competition.

Quietly and without fanfare, Nigeria are steadily advancing in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 with a clash with South Africa on Wednesday.

The coach and his players are now two matches away from a fourth triumph for Nigeria.

While praising Nigeria’s defensive solidity, Peseiro hopes to see improvements in attack.

“Once again we played without conceding, scored a goal, but I would have liked more. The team could have created more opportunities,” he said.

With just six goals scored in five games, the Portuguese feels Nigeria aren’t capitalizing on their quality.

“We are a quality team, Angola was very good, but we had more luck. I remain satisfied with my players but want us to be more efficient,” Peseiro added.

The manager did admit that chance creation hasn’t been helped by injury absences.

“We’re missing some key creators like Iheanacho and Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up,” he noted.

As Nigeria chase a fourth AFCON crown, Peseiro knows finding a clinical edge could be decisive.

A victory against South Africa on Wednesday at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké (5:00 PM GMT) would bring them closer to this important goal.

The Super Eagles have ground out results thanks to their miserly defence. But should they rediscover their scoring touch, Peseiro may yet lead Nigeria back to the pinnacle of African football.

He also noted that not many people in South Africa believed in the team.

Hugo Boos, South Africa’s coach, says he will approach the semi-final match against Nigeria differently from Bafana Bafana’s style in their quarter-final game against Cape Verde on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was the hero as South Africa beat Cape Verde 5-3 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes to advance to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.

After an impressive four penalty saves by Williams, Bafana Bafana secured their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2000 where they will meet Nigeria.

Bruce told journalists at a post-match conference that the game against Nigeria would be an entirely different ‘kettle of fish.’

“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, which has good players like (Ademola) Lookman.

“We will not lose focus. The players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation,” he said.

He noted that the pressure of qualifying for the semi-finals for the first time in AFCON made the game tougher, adding that winning the game by penalty shootout wasn’t a fluke.

“When we got to the penalty shootout, it was a special thing for the players, because during training they were scoring them.

“When we have a goalkeeper who stops four penalty kicks, this is not luck but a lot of hard work.

“There was a lot of pressure in the match. Everyone wanted to qualify.

“This match was unlike the previous ones. We did not show the same performance as we had in previous matches,” he said.

He also noted that not many people in South Africa believed in the team, saying that he was proud of what his boys had achieved so far.

“In spite of all the doubts, we believed in it, and the players believed in themselves as well.

“Reaching the semi-finals is in itself a good thing for South African football,” Bruce said.

Nigeria and South Africa have met 15 times in competitive football since 1992.

The Super Eagles have won eight of such encounters, while the Bafana Bafana won two, with both teams drawing on five occasions.

The Bafana Bafana secured their place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2000.

Moses has shone in Cote d’Ivoire and has two Man-of-the-Match award

Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has highlighted the stark contrast between club football and representing his nation, particularly in a high-pressure tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations.

Simon, with two Man-of-the-Match awards, shared his insights with reporters in Abidjan.

“There’s a big difference,” the 28-year-old asserted. “Club football is more about tactics, but African football is about physicality, strength, and just going out there to fight and win. You can have 90% of the ball possession. It doesn’t matter if you lose; winning is the only goal.”

Fully adapted

Simon’s performances at AFCON 2023 demonstrate his grasp of the unique demands of African football. However, the Nantes winger emphasised team success over individual accolades.

“I’m happy with the awards, but winning is everything,” he declared after his latest Man-of-the-Match performance against Angola.

“Individual awards don’t matter if your team loses.”

Simon is also solidly rooting for his teammates like Victor Osimhen, who has just one goal to his name despite his battling performances across every game so far in Cote d’Ivoire.

“The team spirit is good. Osimhen is focused on winning, not just scoring. He’ll take his chances, but the team comes first.”

Securing his second Man-of-the-Match award after his earlier performance against Guinea-Bissau, Simon’s assist for Lookman’s winning goal was instrumental in Nigeria’s semi-final win.

Now, Simon’s sights and those of his national teammates are all set for Wednesday’s clash against South Africa, where they aim to inch closer to their dream of winning a fourth AFCON title.

Interestingly, when Cote d’Ivoire hosted their only previous Africa Cup of Nations finals in 1984, Nigeria played their semi-final match against Egypt in Bouake.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will move to Bouake on Tuesday to continue their campaign at the ongoing 34^th Africa Cup of Nations. 

The Nigeria national team, which has remained in Abidjan since their opening game, will leave Cote d’Ivoire’s commercial capital to face South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the semi-final.

According to a statement issued by the Nigerian Football Federation Director of Media, Ademola Olajire, on Sunday, coach Jose Peseiro’s men will continue their preparations for the encounter in Abidjan on Sunday and Monday, and will only have the official training on arrival in Cote d’Ivoire’s second city on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Olajire noted that when Cote d’Ivoire hosted their only previous Africa Cup of Nations finals 40 years ago, Nigeria also played their semi-final match in the city of Bouake against Egypt.

In what was easily ranked as the match of the tournament, the Pharaohs, led by Mahmoud Al-Khatib and including Taher Abou Zeid, Magdi Abdel Ghani, Ali Shehata, Ibrahim Youssef, and goalkeeper Thabet El-Batal, led 2-0 before the half hour.

But Stephen Keshi pulled one back from the penalty spot before halftime and then made the inch-perfect pull-out from which Bala Ali netted the equaliser in the second half. Nigeria won the ensuing penalty shootout 8-7.

Nigeria’s squad that day included goalkeeper Peter Rufai, Kingsley Paul, Yisa Sofoluwe, Sunday Eboigbe, Humphrey Edobor, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Ademola Adeshina, Mudashiru Lawal, Henry Nwosu, and Rashidi Yekini.

Many hope the Super Eagles will also triumph over Bafana Bafana on Wednesday in what is a direct repeat of the AFCON 2000 semi-final.