Nigeria vs South Africa: Flying Eagles coach promises real battle against little rival Amajita in AFCON U20 showdown

Nigeria’s U20 head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has promised an electrifying performance when the Flying Eagles face South Africa’s Amajita in the first semi-final of the CAF U20 Cup of Nations at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia on Thursday evening.

Fresh off a commanding 3-1 penalty shootout victory over defending champions Senegal in the quarter-finals, the seven-time champions are riding high.

Zubairu, who guided El-Kanemi Warriors to the President Federation Cup title last year, expressed confidence in his squad’s growing form.

“I believe we are going to have a great semi-final against the South Africans. I can guarantee that our approach will be much better,” he told the NFF.

The coach highlighted the relief of securing a FIFA U20 World Cup ticket, which eases the pressure heading into the semi-final.

“We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, as we aim for the trophy,” Zubairu added.

Acknowledging the great rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa, he vowed his team would “do a real battle.”

Nigeria’s dominance in the competition is unmatched, with seven titles, and a history of strong performances, including runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2007, and bronze medals in 2009 and 2019.

Zubairu noted the team’s steady improvement since their opening match against Tunisia.

“The team has improved, and is actually getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans,” he concluded.

South Africa’s Amajita earned their semi-final spot with a hard-fought 1-0 extra-time win over the Democratic Republic of Congo at the same venue.

Historically, Nigeria has had the upper hand, defeating South Africa 2-1 for bronze in 2009 and 5-3 in a penalty shootout for third place in 2019.

However, both teams struggled in 2001, exiting at the group stage in Ethiopia, marking Nigeria’s worst-ever tournament outing.

With a place in the final and a shot at an eighth title on the line, the Flying Eagles are poised to bring their A-game against their “little rivals” from South Africa.