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In their last two meetings, the Nigerian Super Eagles hadn't managed to pick up a win against South Africa, but yesterday when it mattered most, the Nigerians dominated their less illustrious opponents.
It was a tame performance from the Bafana Bafana, a far cry from the sparkle they produced against the Pharaohs of Egypt. At the end of the day, the 2-1 scoreline didn't tell the full story, but the Nigerians were wasteful, more often than not.
Two goals on either side of half time was enough to see the Super Eagles through, including one at the tail end of the game, breaking South African hearts the world over, as they would have undoubtedly envisioned an upset after a 71st-minute equaliser.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria march on, with a fourth Africa Cup of Nations triumph on the horizon. Just two more hurdles to fly across.
In this article we make sense of the game, analysing what went wrong for Bafana Bafana, and what Gernot Rohr's men got right!
#3 Sublime Samuel Chukwueze
Villareal's Samuel Chukwueze got things started for the Nigerians, darting into the box to collect Alex Iwobi's low cross before getting two pops at goal.
In a game where the Nigerian attacking machine incessantly peppered the South African defence via the flanks, Chukwueze was undoubtedly one of the most notable performers. He constantly threatened on the right flank, giving Sifiso Hlanti something to worry about all night.
The Nigerian team has a lot of rough edges, therefore if they are to triumph for the 4th time on the continent, Samuel Chukwueze's individual spark will be crucial. Gernot Rohr will be hoping for a repeat performance against their next opponents.
#2 The psychological edge
The Bafana Bafana that stepped out of the tunnel to face Nigeria seemed tame, providing very little in terms of spunk, a far cry from the South Africa we saw against Egypt.
Despite having the last competitive win against Nigeria, South Africans had never beaten the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations, with the Nigerians holding a huge 6 win ratio to South Africa's 2 in 13 competitive games.
Football is a mental sport as well, and perhaps the South Africans respected their more renowned opponents way too much.
#1 South African ineptitude in defence and attack
South Africa have been evidently lacklustre upfront, scoring just 2 goals in four AFCON 2019 games prior to their clash with the Super Eagles.
The worrying trend continued against Nigeria, as they seemed toothless going forward all through the game. Their only goal was a somewhat controversial one, and VAR was needed to give it a nod.
Defensively last night, South Africa were all over the place. The Nigerians didn't take their chances, otherwise, it would have been embarrassing. Throughout the game, the Bafana Bafana defenders seemed clueless, allowing the Nigerian attackers to have a field day.
This was evident in the run-up to both goals scored by Nigeria, with Chukwueze waltzing into the middle of the Bafana Bafana defence unopposed to get two pops at goal for the first, and William Troost-Ekong scoring the winner quite easily after the confused South African defenders failed to clear the ball or pick him up.
