Nigeria’s U20 coach Aliyu Zubairu says the Flying Eagles are fired up and ready for a fiery semi-final battle against South Africa’s Amajita in the CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ismailia on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.
Fresh off a dramatic 3-1 penalty shootout victory over holders Senegal after 120 gruelling minutes, Nigeria are eyeing another big scalp — and a place in the final — as they face familiar rivals South Africa at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium.
While the Flying Eagles impressed against Senegal, coach Zubairu believes his boys could be set to play their best match at the tournament against the South Africans.
“We know the rivalry between Nigeria & South Africa” – Flying Eagles set to settle old scores with Amajitas
“I believe we are going to have a great semi-final against the South Africans,” Zubairu told the NFF website.
“I can guarantee that our approach will be much better, as the anxiety of whether or not we will earn a FIFA World Cup ticket is no longer there. It was a tense 120 minutes for ourselves and the defending champions on Monday.
“We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, as we aim for the trophy, but without the tense atmosphere around the last match.
“Of course, we know the little matter of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what the game means, and we will go in there to do a real battle.”
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
READ MORE
- Mission isn’t over yet — Zubairu, Gusau warn Flying Eagles after Nigeria beat Senegal to book World Cup spot
- Nigeria vs South Africa: Amajitas set up semifinal date with Flying Eagles at the U20 AFCON
- Nigeria 0-0 Senegal (3-1 pen.): Goalkeeper Harcourt the hero as Flying Eagles seal World Cup and U20 AFCON semifinal spots
The former El-Kanemi Warriors boss believes his side has grown significantly since their tournament opener against Tunisia and will deliver an improved performance in the last four.
“We can all see that the team has improved, and actually getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans.”
The rivalry between the two nations stretches back decades. While Nigeria boast a record seven U20 titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015), South Africa have never lifted the trophy. Their best finish came in 1997 as runners-up.
The two sides have met in crunch fixtures before. Nigeria edged South Africa for third place in 2009, with the Flying Eagles claiming a 2-1 win.
However, South Africa got back their pound of flesh ten years later as the Amajitas defeated Nigeria via penalties to claim the bronze medal.
While Nigeria knocked out Senegal in the quarter-finals, South Africa advanced to the semi-finals after a 1-0 extra-time win over DR Congo, also in Ismailia.
The winner of this semi-final will face either Egypt or Morocco, who meet later in Cairo.
