The die is cast and the battle is set between Nigeria and South Africa. A match that holds so much relief and pain to either side depending on the outcome of the game. A match that could ruin the future of some players, and elevate some players to cult heroes.
South Africa playing at home has their best chance of going to the world cup again after hosting in 2010 as the first and only African country to have hosted the senior world cup. Will Nigeria however afford to lose back-to-back world cup?
This question will be answered after today’s game at Blomfontein,where South Africa has never lost, when the match day eight would have given direction to what the Group C would look like vis-a-vis qualifying from the pack.
Ahead of the cracker, South Africa’s coach Hugo Broos has admitted it is not yet Uhuru for the Bafana Bafana, even after their 3-0 win over Lesotho in Bloemfontein, same venue for the all-important game against the Super Eagles.
Broos said “We have to go on now, that’s the most important thing. We still haven’t qualified, even if we are in a good position but there are still three games, adding “We are in a very good position. We have it in the hands and we will try not to give it away and in one hand we will have a very big party,”
A win for South Africa would take their points haul to 19,and propel them to their first World Cup since they hosted the Mundial in 2010.
But a win on the road for Nigeria would fully restore confidence and hope of the Super Eagles retrieving their destiny of going to the Mundial back in their hands.
The absence of Victor Osimhen, undoubtedly will be a big minus for the Super Eagles and a big relief for the South Africans.However Coach Eric Chelle has a lot of quality to choose from as replacement for the injured Turkey based star. With or without Osimhen, the Eagles know they are condemned to win as nothing short of victory will be good enough for the team.
Not many Nigerians believe the Super Eagles still stand a chance of making it to the mundial given what many have described as their indifferent attitude to national assignment unlike what we see of them with their clubs.
Now however is not the time for blame game as theer would enough time to do that .For Super Eagles’ coach Eric Chelle what matters now is the three points “if it’s by an odd goal’ to truly put their 2026 World Cup hope alive.
Chelle said at his media briefing after Saturday’s win against Rwanda. “The most important thing is the three points.
After an underwhelming campaign in the opening four matches where they earned a paltry three out of possible 12 points, the Super Eagles now seem to have undergone some sort of resurgence with a 1-0 win against Rwanda in Uyo on Saturday.
That victory leap-frogged Nigeria to third position with 10 points behind Benin (11 points) and leaders, South Africa (16 points) while Rwanda moved to fourth position on eight points and Lesotho and Zimbabwe followed suit on six and four points respectively
Chelle is however optimistic that the Super Eagles can ride their luck again even with a solitary goal as they did on Saturday in Uyo when Tolu’s Arokodare scored the vital winner that rekindled the country’s aspirations after missing the last Mundial at Qatar 2022.
Broos told SABC Sport after the victory against Lesotho “It’s a nice number, on the other side, the only thing that’s important is win the games we’re supposed to win and it was not so easy today,” .
Bafana Bafana will be relying heavily on the 12th player,the fans and home support to intimidate the Super Eagles, who themselves should not be strangers to such antics given that many of them have faced similar situations in their clubs.The South Africans are riding on the high but the Eagles could still bring them down to earth.90 minutes will determine who smiles last.