Nigeria improving, says Broos as Bafana gun for first Afcon final in 26 years

With Nigeria against Bafana Bafana it is always a bit of a grudge thing.

The Super Eagles, South Africa’s nemesis stumbling block opponents in Wednesday’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) semifinal at Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, Ivory Coast (7pm SA time), have nothing to prove in terms of their record when they meet Bafana.

At national team level, Nigerian football has long eclipsed their continental economic rivals to the south. The West Africans possessed perhaps the finest line-up Africa has seen in the 1990s — Jay-Jay Okocha, Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi and Nwankwo Kanu were just some of the global superstars in that team’s ranks.

Even after that side, which won the 1994 Nations Cup and lit up the USA 1994 World Cup and 1996 Olympics, Nigeria, as an African powerhouse should, continued to amass achievements. They reached the last 16 of the 1998 and 2014 World Cups (though they were not in Qatar in 2022) and won the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, plus third-place finishes in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2019.

But the Super Eagles do seem to have something to prove every time they take the field against Bafana. That stems from their absence when the Nigerian government of General Sani Abacha withdrew their national team from the 1996 Nations Cup over South Africa’s criticism of the execution of human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Bafana won on home soil, but Nigeria has always maintained its super 1990s combination would have defended their trophy. They go out to prove it every time they take the field against Bafana, with great success.

Nigeria also don’t necessarily have to prove anything — for the 28 years since 1996 they have simply kept producing strong teams while South African football waned alarmingly.

But 1996 will probably be at the back of many Nigerians’ minds again on Wednesday, though so might an awareness that their awesome record against Bafana has been less convincing in the last decade.

Nigeria have won seven, drawn five and lost two of 14 clashes against South Africa. They have only lost once to Bafana in a competitive game — Stuart Baxter’s side won their Nations Cup qualifier 2-0 in Uyo in 2017. Two members of Hugo Broos’s present squad starred that day — Percy Tau scored and Themba Zwane was influential.

The Super Eagles gained revenge at the 2019 Nations Cup finals with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory.

In the last six clashes both sides have a win and there have been four draws.

In Ivory Coast, Nigeria have grown in strength. A team rocked by a disastrous start to the World Cup qualifiers with draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November, which saw Portuguese coach José Peseiro enter Afcon under considerable pressure, opened with a 1-1 draw against Guinea. They have won their next six games — 1-0 against Ivory Coast, 1-0 against Guinea-Bissau, 2-0 against Cameroon and 1-0 against Angola.

Broos, seeking to steer Bafana to a first Nations Cup final in 26 years — since 1998 in Burkina Faso, where they lost 2-0 to Egypt under Jomo Sono — has taken note of how Nigeria have gathered steam. South Africa’s coach has also noticed the three goals in two knockout games by forward Ademola Lookman of Atalanta in Serie A.

“They are getting better with each game,” Broos said.

“When I saw them [on Friday against Angola] they looked a good team.

“They have a very good side and some very good players, like the player scoring the goals, Lookman — he’s a very good player.

“So we have to analyse a bit more ... and we will see how we can use the weaknesses, but also look at the good qualities — and there are a lot of good qualities in that team.

“It will also be a bit special because in a few months we play them in the World Cup qualifiers, so it can be a test for both of us.”

Peseiro might look for more goals than the lone tournament strike from his star player, Napoli’s classy Arsenal and Real Madrid target Victor Osimhen, who has plenty of destructive potential.

PAOK Thessaloniki centreback William Troost-Ekong, the Fulham pair of defender Calvin Bassey and midfielder Alex Iwobi, Nottingham Forest wingback Ola Aina and Nantes forward Moses Simon are among Nigeria’s other big-name European-based stars.