“We are looking forward to the challenge, it is going to be tough but we have been facing similar players throughout the tournament,” stated Williams yesterday.
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is wanting ahead to the take a look at posed by Nigeria’s array of attacking expertise, when South Africa tackle the Super Eagles on Wednesday within the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals on the Stade Bouake (kick off 7pm SA time).
In FC Nantes’ Moses Simon, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Nigeria have an attacking trio that’s as harmful as any left within the match.
Bafana, nevertheless, already beat Morocco’s glittering military of overseas-based expertise within the final 16 and really feel that their defence can stand up to any take a look at, having conceded simply twice in your entire match up to now.
“We are looking forward to the challenge, it is going to be tough but we have been facing similar players throughout the tournament,” stated Williams on Tuesday.
“And our defence has been rock solid, it is not about me, it is about the team, we pride ourselves on our defending. Even the strikers and the wingers have been working hard and our back four has been amazing throughout.”
Bafana have misplaced all three of the earlier occasions they’ve performed Nigeria at an AFCON finals, and Williams was in purpose for the final of these, a 2-1 loss within the quarterfinals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Cairo.
It was Williams who misjudged a nook within the ultimate minute of that sport, permitting William Troost-Ekong to seize the winner for the Super Eagles.
Bafana’s latest hero
Fast ahead 4 years, nevertheless, and the Bafana captain was his nation’s hero within the quarterfinal in opposition to Cape Verde, rewriting the file books with 4 penalty saves within the shootout.
The Mamelodi Sundowns shot stopper just isn’t involved with Bafana’s poor file in opposition to Nigeria (they’ve received only one aggressive match in opposition to the Super Eagles), heading into this encounter.
“We have had so many stats against us in this tournament and we have proved that stats don’t play the game. We can’t change what happened in the past but we can change tomorrow’s result.”
Nigeria obtained a lift yesterday with reviews suggesting that Osimhen had recovered from an belly damage in time to face Bafana.
Bafana can be lacking Sundowns winger Thapelo Maseko, who was injured in opposition to Cape Verde, and is out for the remainder of the match. Head coach Hugo Broos stated that Maseko wouldn’t get replaced within the squad.
“We have opportunities to solve the problem in the group,” stated Broos, who is anticipated to call an unchanged beginning line-up for a fifth sport in a row.
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