Bafana hope ‘Lion of Judah’ Percy Tau finds his roar against Nigeria

In as tough an assignment as against a pedigreed team like Nigeria, with their traditional dominance against Bafana Bafana, having a player of the class of Percy Tau find his running or scoring boots late in the Africa Cup of Nations could help coach Hugo Broos’s men no end.

A psychological dominance can be established in sport, and can be important. South Africa know that all too well exactly from their Nigerian experience as they prepare to meet Portuguese coach José Peseiro’s tightly knit Super Eagles in Wednesday's semifinal at Stade de la Paix in Bouaké, Ivory Coast (7pm SA time).

Yet there is a psychological doubt, too, in Nigeria’s dominance they have enjoyed with such relish over three decades, and Tau has been part of that.

Nigeria’s record against Bafana reads won seven, drawn five and lost two in 14 encounters. Before 2017 the Super Eagles had never lost in a competitive game against the South Africans.

It was in that quite resounding 2-0 defeat inflicted in Uyo under Stuart Baxter in a 2019 Nations Cup qualifier where Tau and Zwane, the only two surviving members from that game in Broos’s present squad, inflicted a wound through Nigeria’s armour that might still sting as the teams take the field on Wednesday. Zwane was rampant and hit the post twice against a Super Eagles admittedly missing some players. Percy Tau was almost as destructive and scored.

To be fair, it was Shakes Mashaba’s Bafana who softened Nigeria up with two draws in the 2015 Nations Cup qualifiers — thanks largely to tormentor Tokelo Rantie — that saw Bafana reach the Equatorial Guinea finals at the Super Eagles’ expense, another blow that surely still smarts.

Rantie was also on the scoresheet in Uyo in 2017. His ability to get under Nigerian skins serves as a reminder that there could be some ingrained memory of Zwane and Tau’s exploits too.

While veteran Zwane has repaid the faith shown by Broos after his initial snubbing from when the coach looked to rebuild early in his tenure with two man-of-the-match awards in a battling group stage at this Nations Cup, Tau is yet to fire. A missed penalty in the 2-0 opening Group E defeat to Mali, penalty scored in the 4-0 win against Namibia, and quiet performances in the 0-0 draw against Tunisia, 2-0 shock of Morocco in the last 16 and penalties win against Cape Verde in the quarterfinals seems less of a return a player nicknamed “Lion of Judah” for his obvious qualities should offer.

It is disappointing showing from a player whose form at Egyptian giants Al Ahly saw him win the Confederation of African Football’s Interclub Player of the Year award in December. But Tau is certainly capable of dismantling even a team of Nigeria’s quality — something he showed already, with Zwane, in Uyo six years ago.

Broos has said Bafana’s motivation to reach a first final in 26 years and a far more decent recent record against Nigeria — a win apiece and four draws in the past 11 years — makes the biggest surprise packages in a tournament of upsets dangerous again on Wednesday.

Nigeria, who were rocked by two opening draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in their World Cup group qualifying campaign that put Peseiro under pressure, started badly in Ivory Coast with a 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea, a situation that might have led to disaster. Their four-match winning resurgence has been more clinical and physically imposing than rampant. Like Bafana after the Mali defeat, they have not conceded again in wins against Ivory Coast (1-0), Guinea-Bissau (1-0), Cameroon (2-0) and Angola (1-0).

Nigeria also have a star attacker — Napoli’s African Footballer of the Year and Arsenal and Real Madrid target Victor Osimhen — yet to fully fire in Ivory Coast, notching a lone strike. They might be playing mind games, saying he’s doubtful for the semi.

If Osimhen has been quiet, his Serie A compatriot, Ademola Lookman, has not, scoring three goals in two knockout games. Captain Ronwen Williams, heroic stopper of four penalties in the shoot-out against Cape Verde, said Bafana believe they will keep a lid on the Atalanta forward, or Osimhen.

“Definitely, we’re up for the challenge. It’s going to be tough, but we’ve been facing similar players throughout the tournament, and I think our defence has been rock-solid.

“The defence is not about me it’s about the team. We pride ourselves in our defending. You can see our strikers, our wingers and forwards working hard too. And I think the back four has been amazing throughout the tournament.”

Broos played down the importance of Osimhen playing, or not.

“But OK, It’s not only about Osimhen. I’ve said we’re playing a very good team.

“Nigeria have become a very good team with players playing all over Europe. So it will be tough tomorrow. But that’s also a motivation for us — to prove we are as good as they are and that we can also win it.”

Ivory Coast meet Democratic Republic of the Congo in Wednesday’s later semifinal in Abidjan (10pm SA time). The third-place playoff is on Saturday and final is on Sunday (both 10pm).