Football - 2019 African Cup of Nations Qualifier - South Africa v Nigeria - FNB Stadium - Johannesburg

Thulani Hlatshwayo of South Africa during the 2019 African Cup of Nations Qualifier match between South Africa and Nigeria at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg on 17 November 2018 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Nigeria vs South Africa: What happened the last time out [video]

Nigeria and South Africa have been involved in some epic battles, and could put on another one as they square off in the Afcon quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Football - 2019 African Cup of Nations Qualifier - South Africa v Nigeria - FNB Stadium - Johannesburg

Thulani Hlatshwayo of South Africa during the 2019 African Cup of Nations Qualifier match between South Africa and Nigeria at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg on 17 November 2018 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Bafana captain Thulani Hlatshwayo recently labelled Nigeria’s Super Eagles as the South African men’s national team’s biggest rivals, and it’s not difficult to see why – given the history of the two sides.

The old foes will be reacquainted once more at the Cairo International Stadium on Wednesday, as they fight it out for a spot in the 2019 Afcon semifinals.

It promised to be an epic battle as, this time around, the stakes are at the highest they’ve been in 15 years.

The first encounter between these two sides dates back to 1992, soon after Bafana’s introduction to the International game – a harsh introduction that was as the Super Eagles ran off 4-0 winners.

The West Africans’ dominance over the men from the south did not let up as they put them to the sword once more at the turn of the millennium – this time eliminating them from the 2000 Afcon in the semifinal stage.

The last Afcon meeting between Nigeria and South Africa came in 2004, when they were drawn together in Group D.

A strong Super Eagles side consisting of legends such as Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha, Nwanko Nkanu and Garba Lawal proved too much for Bafana, who suffered another 4-0 defeat.

It took the first international friendly between these two sides for South Africa to get some joy out of this particular fixture, with goals from Shaun Bartlett and Benedict Vilakazi earning them a 2-1 victory.

However, things swung back Nigeria’s way immediately, as they registered three consecutive victories.

Things have been more even in the past five years, with South Africa giving as much as they get and even earning their only competitive victory over the Super Eagles.

Overall, the two proud football nations have squared off 13 times with Nigeria winning the majority of these encounters with five victories to South Africa’s two.

Nigeria vs South Africa last time out

The last tie between Nigeria and South Africa was quite recent – a two-legged affair in the 2019 Afcon qualifiers.

The first leg saw Bafana silence a packed crowd in Uyo to claim their first win in a competitive match over the Super Eagles – putting on an impressive display for a 2-0 victory, with goals from Tokelo Rantie and Percy Tau.

The next encounter was a one-all draw at FNB Stadium, which began horrendously for Bafana as Buhle Mkhwanazi turned the ball into his own net, but Lebo Mothiba would pull one back after a bit of magic from Tau.

Watch South Africa 1-1 Nigeria, November 2018 highlights here