Gernot Rohr’s men were being forced to a score draw when Zungu’s controversial strike cancelled out Chukwueze’s sweet opener, but the former Bursaspor of Turkey defender rose to the occasion to smash home the winner with just a minute of regulation time left.
It was a special moment and a night to remember for the 25-year-old, as revealed by the Super Eagles manager.
“I am happy for Troost-Ekong, he dedicates his goal to his son Oscar and we are all happy for him,” a delighted coach Gernot Rohr told the media after the match.
The German-born coach has guided Nigeria to the semifinals of Egypt 2019 despite suffering a humiliating defeat to debutant Madagascar earlier in the group stages but he admitted that his team was lucky to get the better of the Bafana Bafana on Wednesday night.
“It was a great match. South Africa is a very good team, they had a very good game against Egypt but it’s too difficult to do this two times in a row,” Rohr said.
“We were lucky to score in the last minute, but yet we were mentally strong to do this. I salute South Africa for having a great team.
“What was the best today is the great spirit between both teams. Our next game is going to be more difficult, but we will be ready.”
Nigeria will play the winner of the quarter-final fixture between Algeria and Ivory Coast, Thursday.
This post was last modified on July 11, 2019 8:36 am