The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on Wednesday in the semifinal of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
The game promises to be a tough one, as aside from the final ticket, which is at stake, both countries are also rivals. In recent years, the game Nigeria and South Africa has produced some exciting action, and this year does not seem like it will be different from the past.
South Africa have been impressive at the AFCON so far, conceding just one goal from their five games in the competition. The Super Eagles also have a similar record, as they have leaked just one goal since the group stage.
Some Bafana Bafana players have impressed at the AFCON, and coach Jose Peseiro has to find a way to curtail their advances to ensure that Nigeria do not have any problems.
Soccernet.ng highlights five South African players that could give the Super Eagles a tough time.
The South African goalkeeper announced himself to the world in the quarter-finals when he saved four penalties in the shoot-out against Angola. But before that, he had been decent in the tournament, and hardly made any mistakes while in goal for the Bafana.
Clearly, the Super Eagles will have a tough time in the final third.
The South African attacker is one of the best players in the Bafana Bafana squad, and they will be hoping that he can deliver the goods on Wednesday.
Tau has one goal in the tournament, albeit that was in the group stage against Namibia. He also tends to perform well when he faces Nigeria.
Mokoena has had a good tournament too. He scored a beautiful free-kick against Morocco in the round of 16. He has been a rock in the Bafana Bafana backline and has played every single minute of the tournament for South Africa.
Modiba has been solid at this tournament. He has played every minute for South Africa and has been reliable. The Mamelodi Sundowns star’s hardworking has been a critical factor for the Bafana Bafana’s success.
Mvala has been a constant fixture in Nigeria’s backline. He has played every minute of the AFCON, and Osimhen and the other Nigerian attackers have to work extra when they play on Wednesday. Mvala is sturdy and quite physical, so the strikers would have to devise a means to get past him.
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