‘They were afraid’ - South Africa head coach claims Super Eagles were scared during their clash at AFCON

Earlier this year, the Super Eagles of Nigeria faced South Africa in the semi-final of the 2023 AFCON competition, eliminating them by penalty shoot-out.

Bafana Bafana will face Nigeria again at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on June 7th as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Ahead of this clash, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos gave his opinion on the game in an interview.

The Belgian coach claimed that the Super Eagles were scared of his squad during the game, pointing out that Peseiro had often told his men to take a more defensive stance.

Hugo said, during an interview with SABC Sports, “We were very, very close. We played a very good game. 

“I saw during the game, the coach of Nigeria was always telling his players, ‘go back, go back’ because they were afraid to lose against us.

“I think one minute to the end, the big chance that Khuliso had, if he could have scored that goal, we were in the final. And as I said earlier, if we were in the final, we had a chance against Ivory Coast.”

South Africa put pressure on Nigeria's defence following a penalty goal by Super Eagles vice-captain William Troost-Ekong. 

However, Khuliso Mudau missed a key opportunity that could have altered the result of the match in their favour.

In an attempt to get revenge for their 2023 AFCON defeat to Nigeria, Broos has selected his strongest team, and they plan to return from Uyo with three points.