Aliyu Zubairu, the coach of Nigeria’s U20 squad, has expressed confidence that his team will perform even better when they face South Africa’s Amajita in the first semi-final of the CAF U20 Cup of Nations on Thursday in Ismailia.
Nigeria, the seven-time champions, impressed many with their dominant performance against Senegal in the quarter-finals, securing a 3-1 penalty shootout win after a 1-1 draw. Zubairu believes that his side will approach the semi-final with improved composure, now that the pressure of securing a FIFA World Cup ticket has been lifted.
“We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, aiming for the trophy,” Zubairu said. “We know the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what this game means. We will go in there to do a real battle.”
The coach, who guided El-Kanemi Warriors to the President Federation Cup title last year, believes his team has grown stronger with each match since their opening encounter against Tunisia on May 1.
“I believe the team has improved with each match. We will go all out against South Africa,” he added.
Nigeria, with seven titles to their name, also has two runner-up finishes (1999, 2007) and two bronze medals (2009, 2013) in the competition. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Amajita, who secured a 1-0 extra-time win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in their quarter-final, will be looking to continue their impressive run.
In historical encounters, Nigeria and South Africa have faced off multiple times in the U20 AFCON, with Nigeria often coming out on top. The rivalry between the two nations is expected to add extra intensity to Thursday’s semi-final clash.
In the second semi-final on Thursday, hosts Egypt, the four-time champions, will take on Morocco in Cairo.
