AFCON 2023 Semifinal Preview: Heavy clash expected in Peace stadium as Nigeria and South Africa battle for supremacy
(Made in Africa Sport) – The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 semis couldn’t have come with a more tightly contested set of fixtures, as all semifinalists are former winners of the continental trophy looking to add more to their cabinets.
The Super Eagles are three-time champions, winning the trophy in 1980, 1994, and 2013, while their opponents South Africa have only claimed the AFCON trophy once, which was at their first-ever AFCON outing in 1996.
It is always a tense affair when both teams face off, with the most memorable meeting occurring in the AFCON 2000 semifinals, where the Super Eagles came out victorious only to lose the finals to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon.
The last time the Super Eagles took on the Bafana Bafana was in the 2019 AFCON quarter-finals, and in line with their superior stance in the tie, the Super Eagles were 2-1 winners in Egypt. Overall, Nigeria has won seven of their 14 matches against South Africa, drawing five and losing just twice.
As always, the Super Eagles are favoured for the win this time. The AFCON 2023 has witnessed some huge upsets, as former winners Senegal and top favourites Morocco exited the knockouts dramatically at the hands of less favoured teams, but the Super Eagles have remained immaculate in the face of the purge.
They have seen out waning giants Cameroon, along with their central African comrades Angola, and they will be looking to add the Bafana Bafana to their conquered list.
Star forward Victor Osimhen looked doubtful for the fixture, as he was monitored for abdominal discomfort before eventually joining the team at Bouake on Tuesday. Osimhen hasn’t racked up the numbers in the ongoing AFCON 2023, as many anticipated, but his sheer work rate and frontline press have been instrumental to chance creation, as he puts his bulk and strength to use in freeing up space for his strike partners.
Ademola Lookman is Nigeria’s top scorer in Cote d’Ivoire, and we can expect to see the Atalanta forward line-up next to Osimhen in attack today.
The South Africans have little to worry about in the way of squad changes, and they will be pulling motivation from all corners to defeat the Super Eagles, even from music sensation Tyla’s recent Grammy award for the Best African Music Performance.
On the other side of the knockout charts, we have the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire continuing their standout performance against the Leopards of DR Congo.
Both teams are two-time AFCON winners, although Cote d’Ivoire have lifted the trophy more recently, in 2015. The hosts have indeed come a long way, from progressing as best losers to defeating Egypt and Mali on sheer willpower, and that fairytale might just continue to the finals.
Sebastien ‘the Florist’ Desabre has also done a fine job guiding the DR Congo team through the group stages up till now, as they have shown the stuff of champions in their charge to reclaim the AFCON trophy after a 50-year wait.
They are well-poised to match the Ivorians, and the conditions at the Alassane Ouattara stadium will be far from settled as both teams clash for the seventh time in their history.
Cote d’Ivoire have been victorious three times, drawing twice and losing once, but the present conditions defy history—it’s the AFCON 2023 semifinals.
Nigeria will kick off against South Africa by 6:00 p.m., while Cote d’Ivoire will host DR Congo by 9:00 p.m.