South Africa goes head-to-head with Nigeria in Semis

Two of Africa’s greatest footballing nations come head to head today for a place in the final of the 2023 African Cup of Nations.
To get this far Nigeria had to eliminate Angola and Cameroon, whilst South Africa also had to do justice to Morocco and Cape Verde to reach the semi-finals respectively.
Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the 2021 edition of the competition and will be keen to make up for lost time this year. Out of seven final appearances, Nigeria has been crowned AFCON champions on three occasions. The Super Eagles have also finished third eight times, most recently in 2019.
With reigning champions Senegal and record holders Egypt both out of the competition, Nigeria boss José Peseiro is eyeing up victory for his side.
Building up to that epic encounter, here are some head-to-head meets between the two nations.
The two sides have come face to face 14 times, with the first fixture coming in 1992.
They last met at the 2019 edition of AFCON held in Egypt. Both sides qualified for the Round of 16, with Nigeria finishing second in Group B and South Africa finishing third in Group D.
Bafana Bafana met hosts Egypt in the Round of 16 and beat them 1-0, whilst the Super Eagles overcame Cameroon with a 3-2 victory thanks to a winning goal from Alex Iwobi. The sides then found themselves head-to-head in the quarter-finals, battling it out for a place in the final four.
A first-half goal from Samuel Chukwueze set Nigeria up nicely, before Bongani Zungu equalised with 20 minutes to play. However, it was the Super Eagles who emerged victorious as William Troost-Ekong netted a last-minute winner.
Nigeria went on to lose 2-1 to eventual champions Algeria in the semi-finals, but secured a third-place finish with a 1-0 win over Tunisia.
The quarter-final meeting was South Africa’s AFCON fixture for four years, following their failure to qualify for the 2021 edition of the competition.
Nigeria currently is on top when it comes to head-to-head performance, having won 7 games, drawn 5, and lost just two.
To crown it all, Nigeria have been crowned AFCON champions threefold, finished second on four occasions and picked up third place eight times.
South Africa on the other hand has also managed to win the AFCON just once. They have finished second on one occasion and picked third place also once.
The game is scheduled for 5pm at Stade Bouaké in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire. The winner will then face either Côte d’Ivoire or DR Congo in the 2023 AFCON final on Sunday 11 February.