AFCON U20: Zubairu promises a more composed Flying Eagles against South Africa
Aliyu Zubairu has assured that the Nigeria U20 squad will be even better when they take on South Africa’s Amajita in the first semi-final of the ongoing CAF U20 Cup of Nations in the city of Ismailia on Thursday evening.
Pundits have praised the seven-time champions for dominating the tough quarter-final encounter against Senegal at the same venue on Monday, before sending the Cup holders out of the tournament after a 3-1 penalty shootout win.
‘I believe we are going to have a great semi-final against the South Africans. I can guarantee that our approach will be much better, as the anxiety of whether or not we will earn a FIFA World Cup ticket is no longer there. It was a tense 120 minutes for us and the defending champions on Monday.
‘We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, as we aim for the trophy, but without the tense atmosphere around the last match. Of course, we know the little matter of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what the game means, and we will go in there to do a real battle,’ Head Coach Zubairu said on Tuesday.
The man who led El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to win last year’s President Federation Cup competition believes his team has improved considerably since the first match against Tunisia on the first day of May.
‘We can all see that the team has improved and actually getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans.’
Apart from their seven titles, Nigeria have also finished as runners-up on two occasions (1999 and 2007), and as bronze medallists on two other occasions as well (2009 and 2013).
To set up a clash with the most-decorated team in the competition’s history, the Amajita had to also endure a 120-minute affray against the Democratic Republic of Congo, also at the same Suez Canal Authority Stadium where the Flying Eagles upended Senegal’s expectations. They won their own game 1-0 after extra time.
Nigeria had collected four of her seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) before South Africa (isolated for decades) was assimilated back into global sport following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
