South Africa’s national soccer team coach, Hugo Broos, has called on his Bafana Bafana squad to deliver a surprise victory against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in Uyo on Friday, June 7. Broos is confident that his team has the capability to upset the Super Eagles, much like they did during the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast. In that tournament, South Africa dominated Nigeria in the semi-finals, with the Super Eagles only advancing via a penalty shootout.
Broos observed that the current Nigerian team, now under coach Finidi George, has a more offensive approach compared to the defensively-minded tactics of their former coach, Jose Peseiro. He believes this shift could work in South Africa’s favor as they aim to secure a crucial win in their quest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
“We will try to shock them again. This team is a bit different from the AFCON squad,” Broos told reporters. “With Finidi George, they have a coach who thinks more offensively. Peseiro was more defensive, always telling the team to retreat. In the final, they played defensively, hoping for a counterattack or a scoring opportunity.”
Broos added, “In recent games against Mali and Ghana, they played differently. They take more initiative, pressing early and close to the opponent’s goal. We need to find a way to surprise them again, like we did in Ivory Coast.”
South Africa heads into this World Cup qualifier sitting second in Group C, just a point ahead of Nigeria. This makes the upcoming match crucial for both teams. Finidi George and his squad are under pressure to secure a win to bolster their chances of advancing from the group.
Following the match in Uyo, Nigeria will travel to Abidjan to face Benin Republic on June 10, while South Africa will return home to play against Zimbabwe on June 11.
