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AFCON 2019: SUPER EAGLES UP AGAINST BAFANA HURDLE

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BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE 

One highlight of this competition in its closing stages is the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee system. In the earlier rounds, some questionable decisions angered fans and appeared to changed the fortunes of some teams.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles step out in the second match of the day with a mission to avoid a repeat of Ghana 2008.

That was the last time Nigeria failed to advance beyond the last eight since 1982. In that first quarterfinal match against hosts Ghana on February 3, 2008, Yakubu Aiyegbeni shot Nigeria ahead in the 35th minute via penalty.

But Michael Essien would cancel that advantage in added time of the first half, while Junior Agogo won it for the Black Stars with seven minutes to end the fierce encounter.

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Champions in 1980, 1994 and 2013, Nigeria were runners-up in 1984, 1990 and 2000 and bronze medalists in 1992, 2010 and in three straight editions between 2002 and 2006.

But the Super Eagles have missed two tournaments since their last trophy in 2013 and appeared shaky in the earlier matches of their return to the finals.

Lone goal victories over Burundi and Guinea was followed by the horrific defeat to Madagascar. But confidence seems to have been regained following the fightback that led to the elimination of defending champions Cameroon in a five-goal thriller last Saturday in the Round of 16.

South Africa scored only one goal and conceded two at the group stage of Egypt 2019 but squeezed through that phase with only three points as one of the best four losers. Bafana Bafana would then get inspired by the defeat of the host nation in their last match, against most predictions.

Since winning as hosts in their first time in the competition in 1996, it’s been down the hills for South Africa.

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Silver medalists as defending champions in Burkina Faso 1998, they claimed third place in Ghana/Nigeria 2000 and were quarterfinalists in the next edition in 2002, as well as in 2013 when they played host again.

Group stage exits in three consecutive editions from 2004 to 2008 and in 2015 complete South Africa’s journey in AFCON.

Although Nigeria have beaten South Africa six times in all of 13 competitive and friendly games, Bafana Bafana have closed the gap in recent encounters. They shocked Nigeria on Matchday 1 of the qualifiers for Egypt 2019 winning 2-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on June 10, 2017.

That set the Super Eagles on the back foot in Group E and they had to redeem themselves quickly to eventually win the ticket for the finals before the last group matches.

Nigeria’s recent encounter with South Africa ended 1-1 in Johannesburg. It was the return leg of the AFCON 2019 qualifiers.

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Nigeria will have to go back to seven matches ago to recall when last they beat South Africa in a competitive game. That was in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Jo’burg on September 6, 2008.

In the earlier fixture, surprise package Benin Republic engage the continent’s topmost rated side Senegal at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

 No one gave Benin Republic a chance of coming out of the group stage for the first time in four AFCON editions. But with three straight draws at the group stage, they landed in the last 16 as one of four best third placed sides.

Then the Squirrels confronted the Atlas Lions of Morocco and surprised even themselves to reach the quarterfinals.

Senegal have a not-so-impressive run so far with two wins and defeat to Algeria at the group stage, and a lone goal victory over Uganda in their last fixture.

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If they are to banish the status of underperformers, the Lions of Teranga will have to overcome the Squirrels. Senegal’s last three AFCONs have ended in group stage exits, and their best performance was as runners-up to Cameroon in Mali 2002.

It’s the first time both sides meet in AFCON.

Today’s fixtures: Senegal v Benin Republic (5pm), Nigeria v South Africa (8pm)

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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