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Broos: We Can Beat Nigeria Away

  • May 31, 2024
  • 2 min read
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Broos: We Can Beat Nigeria Away

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes his team can finally overcome Nigeria and secure their second victory against the Super Eagles.

Bafana will face Nigeria in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 7 June at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium (Uyo) before hosting Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein four days later.

South Africa has a poor record against Nigeria, winning only once in 13 meetings. Their sole victory came in 2017 under coach Stuart Baxter during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Tokelo Rantie and Percy Tau scoring at the same Uyo Stadium venue. Since then, Nigeria has defeated Bafana twice, including a semifinal victory in the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

While Nigeria lost the final to the host nation, Bafana claimed the bronze medal with a penalty shootout win over DR Congo. Broos believes replicating their AFCON performance can lead to success against Nigeria, despite their new coach, Finidi George.

“They [Nigeria] have good players like Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi,” Broos acknowledged. “We came close to beating them at the AFCON, just like we did in Morocco during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers. We even beat them in Morocco (in the AFCON qualifiers) and again in the Ivory Coast [during the 2024 AFCON knockout stages]. So why can’t we have the same confidence to beat Nigeria in Nigeria? It will be tough, but if we can reach the high level we achieved at the AFCON, then we have a chance to win.”

Interestingly, while Bafana secured their first AFCON bronze medal since 2000 in Ivory Coast, George was part of the Nigerian team that defeated Bafana in the semifinals 24 years ago, with Tijani Babangida scoring twice. George, a former right winger, enjoyed a successful playing career, winning the UEFA Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam in 1995 and the AFCON trophy in 1994.

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Robin-Duke Madlala

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