AFCON: “They know me and I know them” Nwabali speaks on challenges of facing South Africa
Joseph Irikefe
Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, who plays his club football in South Africa, and who was thrown into the forefront as number one by the Super Eagles at this competition despite only one previous cap, said he would have a sweet day stopping all efforts by the Bafana Bafana and then seeing them shunted to the third-place match.
“I know them and they know me. It will be an interesting evening in Bouake.”
He will be the final shot stopper in what promises to be a titanic battle of Nigeria and South Africa on Wednesday.
He will have a good covering in a stingy rearguard, marshalled by on-field captain William Ekong.
Ekong not only scored the winning goal when Nigeria last faces South Africa at an Africa Cup of Nations’ contest five years ago, he is again expected to provide all the answers to a number of tricky questions by the opposition in their last four matches, and looks as solid as the Berlin Wall at the height of its glory.
Supporting the field marshal are Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Zaidu Sanusi and Olaoluwa Aina, the attack-minded wingback.
Ranked 42nd in the world and 12th in Africa (as against South Africa’s global ranking of 66th and 12th in the world), the Super Eagles are unbeaten in 10 competitive matches over the past 10 months, and even achieved a rare win in a friendly game when they edged Mozambique in Portugal in October 2023.
As far as the Africa Cup of Nations go, Nigeria is aiming for a fourth star on its crest, while the Bafana (Boys) are only aiming for a second triumph, following their win on home soil 28 years ago. Even that win has always been downplayed by Nigerians as it happened in the absence of Cup holders Nigeria, who were stopped from travelling to the Rainbow Nation by military strongman Sani Abacha following a spat with President Nelson Mandela over the execution of environmental rights activist Ken Saro Wiwa and some others in November 1995.