Nigeria vs. South Africa will be a clash of two of the strongest teams in Africa. Both teams have been playing very well in defense in this year's Afcon, so this best-of-four match might be decided by one goal.
We all thought Nigeria would score a lot of goals in this Afcon, I even predicted like many others that star striker Vitor Osungham would be the marksman, but so far top notch defense has been the key for Nigeria, conceding only 1 goal for now.
This was mainly due to the fact that head coach Pesaro maintained a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation when Nigeria was not in possession of the ball, so their defense was very dense and didn't give their opponents too many chances. We saw this in the game against Angola, who had been scoring goals until they met Nigeria, and the Super Eagles eventually edged out a very close game. So far, Luka has scored 3 goals in Nigeria's knockout matches, making him the team's top scorer alongside Victor Osungham and Jos Aikan. Unfortunately, Osungham left the game early due to an injury, and Nigeria will definitely want him back in time for the Super Eagles' first appearance in the last four since their 2013 title win.
On the other hand, South Africa has been waiting for a longer period of time, the last time they won the African Cup of Nations was in 1996, and this time they are in the last 4 again after 2000.
Like Nigeria, South Africa's defense is very solid, which is very crucial for them, as they have tied the Super Eagles' record of 4 consecutive games without conceding a goal. This is also due to their manager Hiu Gobros, who has established the cornerstone of South Africa's squad, with the backline made up entirely of the Mamelodi Sundowns players I mentioned last time, and it's very important that the defense is built as a unit.
Broos' illustrious achievements in the African Cup of Nations are also important for South Africa, as he managed to lead Cameroon to the title five years ago, and having the invaluable experience of winning the tournament will play a key role at any time in a very tight game.
While I'm sure it will be a close game, Nigeria by no means wants this game to go into a 12-yard battle. As well as keeping a clean sheet, South African goalkeeper and captain Williams was a national hero in the last 8, pouncing on 4 out of 5 12-yarders, so he'll have a psychological advantage once and if this game goes to an exchange of 12-yarders.
