As South Africa’s Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles of Nigeria prepare to face off later tonight in the semi-final of the Africa Cup of Nations, there is a palpable sense of excitement amongst football fans.
Football enthusiasts will be glued to their television screens for what is being touted as the 'final-before-the-final', set to kick off at 7pm at the Stade Bouake Stadium in Ivory Coast. The road to the semi-final for Bafana Bafana has been a journey of highs and lows, where at some point they appeared to be down and out. They lost their first game against Mali but roared back to beat Namibia 4-0 before settling for a draw against Tunisia. Against the odds, Bafana Bafana knocked out one of the tournament's favourites, Morocco, in the round of 16, before relying on the heroics of goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to see off Cabo Verde in the quarterfinals.
The Super Eagles have had a brilliant run in Ivory Coast and remain undefeated heading into the heavyweight semi-final clash. However, South Africa will feel emboldened, particularly after their strong performance in the tournament, which has defied expectations.
The two nations' last five clashes have ended in a draw three times, with each team securing a win. Tensions are rising off the pitch, with the Nigerian Embassy in South Africa issuing a statement urging its citizens to exercise caution. Meanwhile, the host nation, Ivory Coast, will take on the Democratic Republic of Congo at 10pm in the other semi-final encounter at the Olympic Stadium Ebimpe. The two semi-final winners will clash in the final on Sunday, while the losers will play in a third-place match on Saturday.
