Preview: Bafana vs Nigeria

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Bafana Bafana face Nigeria in an Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final on Wednesday looking to progress to their first Afcon semi-final since 2000, writes DEAN WORKMAN.

South Africa didn’t get off to the best of starts in the tournament as they went down 1-0 against Ivory Coast in a game where they created very little going forward and were punished when their opponents were clinical with their chances.

Baxter’s charges may have bounced back with a tight 1-0 win over Namibia but again their attacking fluidity, or rather lack of it, was the biggest talking point as Bafana struggled to penetrate their opponents’ territory and create clear-cut chances. They had to rely on set pieces as Bongani Zungu headed home the winner from a corner kick.

Bafana only needed a draw heading into the final group game against Moroccco, but they conceded a late goal to lose 1-0 and put their place in the tournament in doubt.

Luck, however, was on Baxter and his team’s side as they entered the knockout stages via the backdoor progressing as the fourth-best third-placed team.

Next up was the seven-time winners and hosts Egypt, which posed a mammoth task for the South Africans.

Not many gave them a chance, but Bafana produced one of their best performances in recent history to silence a capacity Cairo International Stadium as Thembinkosi Lorch netted a late winner to knock out the hosts.

Nigeria, on the other hand, cruised through the group stages with two wins from three matches, losing only to Madagascar although they rested many first-team starters, which set up a last-16 clash with defending champions Cameroon.

The Super Eagles rose to the occasion as they came from a goal down to win 3-2 in an action-packed game, with star men Odion Ighalo and Alex Iwobi getting their names on the scoresheet.

Now, after competing in the same qualifying group for the 2019 Afcon, familiar foes South Africa and Nigeria face off in what could be a defining game for each side.

The two sides have met 13 times in their history, with previous results suggesting Nigeria has the upper hand with six wins compared to Bafana’s two, while the sides drew on five occasions.

Recent history, however, will fill Bafana with confidence as they have not lost to the Super Eagles in their last five games, dating back to 2014. Baxter’s charges famously won one of those games in Uyo while qualifying for the tournament, and the other encounters ended in stalemates.

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has placed the pressure on the South Africans when, in the buildup, he said: ‘When you beat a strong team like Egypt, you become the competition’s favourite.’

‘We have a huge game in front of us, therefore we are expecting a top-quality match,’ added the Nigeria coach.

Bafana’s Baxter, though, wouldn’t be drawn into Rohr’s mind games.

‘Nigeria are absolutely one of the best teams on the continent and have been for a long time. One game doesn’t make us favourites. I don’t think he [Rohr] is fooling anybody,’ the South Africa coach said at a media conference.

‘We’ll be respecting Nigeria, but not fearing them. We will have to produce a very good South Africa performance to beat them,’ Baxter concluded.

Bafana head into the encounter with a full complement of players to choose from, with Themba Zwane returning to the squad following his suspension for the clash with Egypt. Consequently, Baxter will face a number of selection headaches thanks to the performances in the last game against the hosts.

Nigeria will be boosted by the return of veteran midfielder John Obi Mikel, who missed the game against Cameroon after he was forced to limp out of the defeat by Madagascar in the group stages.

It is bound to be a titanic battle on Wednesday evening, with a number of top teams already out of the tournament. A win for South Africa or Nigeria will mean they can begin to dream of lifting that famous trophy at the end of the tournament.

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Dean Workman