South Africa Trembling Ahead Of Their Match With Nigeria

Exactly four months after being bumped and relegated to the third-place match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by the Super Eagles, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana are nervous as they face the three-time African champions again in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Uyo.

Only three days ago, the Super Falcons pushed the reigning African champions, Banyana Banyana, off the bus to this year’s Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, instead grabbing the ticket to secure their first appearance at the glamour tournament in 16 years.

The assured manner of Nigeria’s victories in the two fixtures has left the South African football hierarchy perplexed, and there is insufficient time to recover or rethink strategies before the Bafana Bafana face the Super Eagles on Day 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday, June 7.

With two points from their previous two games, but aware of their advantage over Bafana Bafana, the African vice-champions are confident of getting three points on the day, which could propel them to the top of the pool.

On February 7th, at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake, the Super Eagles defeated Bafana Bafana in the 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) third-place match.

Despite achieving parity late in the game, the Bafana were outmatched in the penalty shootout, with Ni-geria’s South African-based goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saving two of the Bafana’s kicks.

South Africans’ boasts of defeating the Super Falcons in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in revenge were dashed when the Banyana Banyana failed to score a goal in 180 minutes of action, with the two teams separated by Rasheedat Ajibade’s penalty kick goal in Abuja on Friday, April 5.

Despite being one point ahead of the Super Eagles in their FIFA World Cup qualifying group, the Bafana Bafana will fall behind once they face the Super Eagles’ superior strength, skill, and savvy on another Friday in June.

It should be noted that Nigeria defeated South Africa 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AF-CON) in Cairo.

The Super Eagles players are already gearing up to deliver big punches to Bafana Bafana in Uyo in a few weeks.

Only on Thursday night, top striker Victor Boniface returned from the injury that kept him out of the AFCON, scoring off the bench in Bayer Leverkusen’s Europa League quarterfinal against West Ham United of England.

Victor Osimhen, African Player of the Year, has also been scoring for SC Napoli in the Italian Serie A.

Goalkeeper Nwabali remains in excellent shape, and midfielders Alex Iwobi and Ademola Lookman shone in a friendly victory over Ghana.

–Independent