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they stunned the Super Eagles 2-0 in the opening match
of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series in
Uyo.
It’s their first win over Nigeria in a competitive game and
brought an end to the latter’s seeming superior record
over Bafana, who now top the group, where only the
winners are guaranteed of a ticket to play in the 2019
tournament to be hosted by Cameroon.
On a night that coach Gernot Rohr recorded his first loss
since he was appointed manager by the Nigeria Football
Federation last year, the Eagles simply failed to come to
the party, allowing their opponents the leeway to score
two second half goals that stunned a home crowd into
silence, pain, despair, agony and anguish.
Nigeria’s tormentor Tokelo Rantie put Bafana Bafana
ahead in the 56th minute, Percy Tau making it 2-0 in the
80th, in the shock result of the opening round of the 2019
Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
It could have been more – the unfortunate Themba
Zwane somehow struck the upright twice.
Coach Stuart Baxter, on his return to coach Bafana,
oversaw the end to the 24-year drought against the team
South Africa could never beat. Remarkably, he had also
been in charge of Bafana’s one previous friendly win
against Nigeria, 1-0 at Ellis Park in 2004.
Bafana are now in pole position to qualify for Cameroon
2018. Seychelles will be whipping boys in Group E, Libya
perhaps a little more than that.
In the opening half, Bafana were patchy, but not
appallingly so, clawing their way to a goalless break.
They improved remarkably killing the game in the second
half.
Remarkably, the last time that South Africa played in Uyo,
they almost ran away with a 2-0 victory, only to be
pegged back by the Nigerians, who however drew the
game 2-2.
But on account of yesterday’s game, the South Africans
were simply better prepared, well drilled and executed
expertly the script prepared by Coach Stuart Baxter, who
in the days to the game, had warned that his troops will
canter to victory in Uyo.
This manner in which they achieved this impressive result
left a bitter taste on the lips of Nigerian fans, who wore
long faces as they drifted out of the Godswill Akpabio
Stadium.
The Eagles came into the match high on confidence of
coasting to a routine win over the former apartheid nation
but failed to create clear-cut chances. With the likes of
Victor Moses goalkeeper Carl Ikeme and John Obi Mikel
missing due to injuries, the Eagles lacked a leader, who
would take the game to the Bafana Bafana. The likes of
Manchester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho and
Arsenal’s striker, Alex Iwobi were simply a shade off
form, causing the team to lack the bite and zest needed
to break down the South Africans.
Eagles midfield trio of Oghenekaro Etebo, Moses Simon
and Wilfred Ndidi were subdued in the midfield by the
South Africans, who after holding the homers to a barren
first half, came off the blocks in the second half and
deservedly provided the fillip that allowed Thokelo Rantie
to edge Bafana 1-0 up on 54 minutes.
Mphahlele was the provider of the fine cross from the
right of Eagles defence, with Rantie heading and beating
goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi at his near post. It was a
beauty as the South Africans celebrated an unlikely lead
in Uyo, with the likes of NFF President, Amaju Pinnick,
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom and Senator
Godswill Akpabio also looking bemused, unable to hide
the irritation.
The Nigerian defenders were guilty of marking space,
instead of the opponents, with an unmarked Rantie, who
had scored in the last encounter in Uyo, having all space
and time to choose the best spot to nod the ball into.
Akpeyi was lost in the air, a forlorn figure that failed to
shout out orders to his defenders on their poor
positioning. It was an absolute shambolic defending by
Eagles, reminiscent of the bad old days.
Where were the likes of Elderson Echiejile, Troost Ekong,
Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem doing in defence
when Tokelo Rantie towered high in space to beat Akpeyi
in goal for Nigeria? They caused fans to shake their
heads in despair
The likes of Pinnick, who is now a CAF Exco member, had
come to the stadium, expecting to be treated to a feast of
goals by the Super Eagles, who were trailing, promoting
Coach Rohr to ring in the changes, replacing the
ineffective Iwobi with Leicester City’s winger, Ahmed
Musa.
Musa’s introduction was ineffective as far as providing
the impetus for Eagles to score the equaliser.
Lacking a motivator and creator, the Eagles played like a
team without a plan, as the players seemed all too
drained from the two weeks of camping in France for this
match against South Africa, who only used a couple of
days to prepare for the same game.
With desperation setting in, Rohr took out Iheanacho, who
was simply off form and in his place, came in Olarewaju
Kayode, who no sooner fell into the same disjointed play
of the Eagles. Captain Ogenyi Onazi did not lead by
example, looking lost in the midfield. In retrospect, this
game exposed the fragile underbelly of the Eagles, who
even if given another 30 minutes after regulation time,
were not likely to score in Uyo.
It was fitting that South Africa scored the second of the
night on 81 minutes, as substitute Percy Tau made an
instant impact, latching onto a long ball, beating a
hapless, and pathetic Akpeyi, before tapping the ball into
an empty net, to the dismay and utter shame of Nigeria,
who now face the prospects of not qualifying for the third
successive Nations Cup if South Africa manage to
consolidate on this fantastic result that has rocked the
foundation of Nigerian football, with recriminations about
to start flying round. The late introduction of Victor
Osimhen, in for Moses Simon came too little too late as
South Africa recorded a shock and historic win on
Nigeria’s soil .
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