Nigerians will never forget Percy Tau and Themba Zwane for what they did to the Super Eagles in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in June 2017.
The Bafana Bafana duo tore the Super Eagles apart and inspired South Africa to beat them 2-0 in their own backyard at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
This is the only victory Bafana registered in 12 competitive matches against Nigeria. It was courtesy of the majestic dance that Zwane, now 34, delivered in combination with substitute Tau, the scorer of the sealer in the 81st minute after he had come on for another scorer, Tokelo Rantie.
Zwane and Tau will lead Bafana again when they return to the scene of the crime on Friday, where Hugo Broos’ men will look to repeat the feat or at least steal a point to get their quest to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup back on track.
Nigeria, who beat Bafana at Afcon in 2019, and in February, are desperate to return to winning ways after two shock 1-1 draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe under previous coach Jose Peserio.
Honestly, if we come back with a draw, I will be a happy coach. But why not have the confidence that we can beat Nigeria in Nigeria?
— Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana coach
Bafana also hit a bump in a 2-0 loss away to Rwanda in November, a defeat that dented their bright 2-1 win against Benin in Durban. “We’ll be on track [to qualify] only if we get four points in our next two matches against Nigeria (Friday) and Zimbabwe (in Free State on June 11),” said Broos of the importance of Bafana playing in the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
“Honestly, if we come back with a draw, I will be a happy coach. But why not have the confidence that we can beat Nigeria in Nigeria? Yes they have [Victor] Osihmen, [Ademola] Lookman, [Alex] Iwobi, you name them, and look at where they are playing, in Italy, England.
“But we are in the good flow now (after winning bronze at Afcon this year) and maybe it is the moment to take it. Once you are there (at the World Cup) you become a player of the higher level.”
Broos — who played for Belgium at the 1986 World Cup — believes Bafana showed a remarkable ability to mix it up with physically imposing players at Afcon and the 3-3 friendly match against Algeria in March. “This is something that changed a lot... what we saw in the games in Afcon. We are not that powerful [a] team.
“A South African player is not like the Nigeria, Cote de Voire players, [who are] 1,89m. But the games we played in Afcon showed we can be powerful also. Maybe in the game against Mali we were taken by power. But we changed it quickly.
“The players changed it very quickly. It’s not me. I just asked them, and they changed very quickly. That was maybe the reason people said to me ‘you don’t play like a South African team anymore’,” said Broos.
“Let’s hope it can go on like this on the same basis that a South African player not only has the technical qualities but also the power, endurance, the power in offensive actions. Let’s hope we can continue with that. We showed it already [in the friendly match against Algeria in March]. I want to see it also in the two games against Nigeria, and we’ll need in it in the game against Zimbabwe as well. Don’t be afraid of that.”
Zwane and Tau, who couldn’t do anything to help Bafana avoid defeat (on penalties after the match ended 1-1) against Nigeria in the Afcon semifinal in Ivory Coast in February, will be the only players remaining from Stuart Baxter’s victorious 2017 squad.
Bafana’s attack will be bolstered by the return of Lyle Foster, the Burnley striker Broos declared has overcome his battle with mental health challenges. The Belgian will also be counting on the form of Iqraam Reyners, the Stellenbosch striker whose 15 goals saw him finish one shy of Golden Boot winner and Orlando Pirates marksman Tshegofatso Mabasa, who missed out on Bafana selection.
It will be on the shoulders of these players to galvanise the current Bafana team to record yet another piece of history in a game where football has not been the only thing at stake.
In the 1990s, their clashes played out against the backdrop of a political standoff after then president Nelson Mandela criticised his Nigerian counterpart General Sani Abacha for executing Niger Delta activist Ken Saro-Wiwa in 1995.
Nigeria withdrew from their match in South Africa to defend the Afcon in 1996 which Bafana went on to win for the first and only time.
Finidi George has replaced Peseria as head coach and Broos expects him to be more attacking than his predecessor, “who I saw encouraging his team to defend more when we met in February”.
George, 53, was part of the Super Eagles team that thrashed Bafana 4-0 in Surulere Stadium in Lagos when the teams met for the first time in October 1992. He has selected a strong side led by Lookman, whose remarkable hat-trick helped Atalanta to a 3-0 victory over Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa final last month. He scored 16 goals and registered eight assists across all competitions for Atalanta this season.
George will be without Nathan Tella of Leverkusen, while Osimhen, Africa’s reigning footballer of the year, withdrew from the squad.
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