Bafana can avenge their loss to Nigeria later when it really matters

Bafana Bafana bravely gave their all during a dramatic Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match against Nigeria but eventually lost out on penalties.

Hugo Broos’ charges were eliminated from the Afcon after going down 4-2 to the Super Eagles on Wednesday night in Côte d’Ivoire.

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William Troost-Ekong opened the scoring for the Nigerians from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute after Victor Osimhen was judged to have been brought down inside the area. Bafana clawed their way back in the 90th minute through Teboho Mokoena, who also beat Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali from the penalty spot.

Having beaten Cape Verde in a tense penalty shootout, Bafana were not so lucky as they missed two of their kicks.

Bafana Bafana will get another crack at Nigeria in June

Although South Africa are out of the Afcon, they will now play DR Congo in the third-place playoff on Saturday.

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Bafana’s rivalry with Nigeria is far from over. The two teams will face off again in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Super Eagles have had a bad start to their qualifying campaign and have so far drawn two of their games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

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Bafana have a chance to avenge their loss when they travel to Nigeria in June. A win for Broos’ men will elevate their chance of making it to the 2026 World Cup and defeat could make life difficult for the three-time Afcon champions.

South Africa’s ultimate goal is to qualify for the World Cup in 2026, and if Bafana can beat Nigeria and qualify for the showpiece, it would be much sweeter and more rewarding than an Afcon win.

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