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Tag: Bafana

  • Eagles face Bafana in Cape Town

    Eagles face Bafana in Cape Town

    The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between South Africa and Nigeria will be played in Cape Town.

    The Super Eagles face Rwanda at home on September 6 in their opening match of the qualifying campaign before traveling to South Africa for the Bafana Bafana clash at the Cape Town Stadium on September 10.

    Nigeria are in Group A with South Africa, Rwanda and Sudan and the defending African Champions are expected to cruise through and qualify for the African showpiece being hosted by Morocco in January – February 2015 .

    The last time Nigeria played in Cape Town was during the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in January 2014 where along the way to finishing runners up they beat hosts South Africa 3-1.

  • AFCON: Nigeria, South Africa to play in Cape Town

    AFCON: Nigeria, South Africa to play in Cape Town

    The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between South Africa and Nigeria will be played in Cape Town, kickOffNigeria.com reports.

    The Super Eagles will face Rwanda at home on September 6 in the opening match of the qualifying campaign before traveling to South Africa for the Bafana Bafana clash at the Cape Town Stadium on September 10.

    Nigeria is in Group A with South Africa, Rwanda and Sudan and Super Eagles is expected to cruise through and qualify for the African showpiece being hosted by Morocco in January.

  • Keshi knows Bafana fate today

    Keshi knows Bafana fate today

    • Has NFF’s  assurance of a new contract 

    At a time when some of the coaches that participated in the just-ended World Cup in Brazil are not sure of their future, Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has turned beautiful bride with opportunities on a platter from two juicy sources.

    The former Togo and Mali coach, who clinched the Nations Cup in South Africa before leading his squad to a round of 16 in Brazil, is sure of a new contract from an embattled Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), but also stands a chance of being offered the Bafana Bafana job today with liberty to compare and contrast the South African and Nigerian offer offers.

    Rumours about the South African Football Association (SAFA) wanting the former Nigeria international to lead their national team arrested the headlines and airwaves throughout the World Cup in Brazil, although Keshi preferring to concentrate on taking the Eagles beyond the round of 16, a dream that went up in smoke following a 2-0 defeat to France.

    Nevertheless, SAFA recently confirmed that a final decision on the search for a coach for Bafana Bafana will be made known today immediately after the association’s general meeting.

    Interestingly, on the home front, just hours after showing former boss Aminu Maigari the exit door, the NFF under its acting president, Mike Umeh, on Thursday flagged off the process of renewing Keshi’s contract, expressing confidence in the Big Boss’ ability to lead the Super Eagles to more laurels.

  • CHAN: Nigeria deserved to win – South African coach

    CHAN: Nigeria deserved to win – South African coach

    South Africa head coach Gordon Igesund, has said that his men lost to a better side and have no excuse for losing comprehensively to the Super Eagles.

    Nigeria beat the hosts 3-1 to secure a ticket to the quarter finals of the African Nations Championship while the hosts crashed out, Goal reports.

    “The Nigerians deserved their victory, they were physically stronger, were hard running and fully capitalised on our glaring mistakes. I am going to offer no excuses; we were today beaten by a better side,” Goal quoted Igesund as saying to journalists after the game.

    “We however, missed some of our regular players especially at the back. But that is no excuse, I will repeat again. We were just not good on the day,” he added.

    The Bafana coach, however, insisted he would not quit as the handler of the national team unless his employers force him to do so.

    “I had no mandate going into the CHAN tournament. I think this Bafana team has improved greatly in the last few months. I will continue until my contract runs out in June.

    “But if SAFA think it is high time for me to go, that is fine with me. It is not in my hands. I would not say this was my lowest moment. We have to rise up and carry on,” he said.

    Nigeria and Mali qualified from Group A while Mozambique and South Africa crashed out.

     

  • Bafana must attack Eagles — Pattison

    Bafana must attack Eagles — Pattison

    Bafana Bafana midfielder Matty Pattison, who had a good game against Mali, believes South Africa need to go all out against Nigeria and not sit back.

    Besides the positive approach to the game, Pattison also feels that Bafana Bafana could hold the ball for longer and not be in a hurry when they face Nigeria on Sunday.

    South Africa beat Mozambique 3-1, a game in which Pattison did not play. But he got a start in the 1-1 draw with Mali and hardly put a foot wrong in a simple yet effective deep midfield role, although he pushed further forward late in the game.

    Asked if he felt there is an area that Bafana can improve on before the final group game against Nigeria on Sunday, the Bidvest Wits man said: “We should just keep the ball more. Sometimes we must not be in a hurry and especially if we are 1-0 up where we can kill the game off.

    “We can make the opposition chase more of the ball. In the first half it was pretty hot and warm (against Mali). We wanted to push for that second goal but it didn’t come.

    “Had we scored the second goal then it would have killed the game off. We have a pretty tough group and if we do well in this group then we will do well in the tournament.

    “We have to go into that game (with Nigeria) all guns blazing. We have to get the result.

    “We can’t sit back and let them come to us or play for a draw; it is never the right way to play. I am sure we will go into that game trying to win it.”

    South Africa and Nigeria clash at 19h00 on Sunday night at Cape Town Stadium.

     

  • CHAN 2014: Pressure on Bafana, Nigeria —Chissano reveals

    CHAN 2014: Pressure on Bafana, Nigeria —Chissano reveals

    Mozambique coach, Joao Chissano says the pressure is on Nigeria and hosts South Africa in Group A at the 2014 African Championship of Nations (CHAN).

    The Mambas will be making their CHAN debut in January together with fellow new comers Nigeria.

    Mali and hosts Bafana Bafana both return for a second tour after making their debuts at the 2011 edition in Sudan.

    “We are hoping that we can make some surprises in the CHAN tournament. We don’t have any pressure. It is South Africa and Nigeria who will be under pressure. We just want to make something positive out of it and win one or two games,” Chisanno said.

    Mozambique kickoff their CHAN campaign against Bafana Bafana in the tournaments opening game on January 11 at the Cape Town Stadium.

    Meanwhile, the Mambas have had a busy friendly schedule drawing 0-0 away to Namibia on November 19 in Windhoek. They followed this up with a 2-1 defeat away against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on December 8.

  • Bafana Bafana shake off Eagles bug

    Bafana Bafana shake off Eagles bug

    •Beat Burkina Faso 2-0

    Bafana Bafana put aside the disappointing of 2-0 loss to Super Eagles August 14 in the Mandela challenge to defeat Burkina Faso by the same margin on Saturday at the FNB Stadium in Soweto as part of the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day.

    Goals from from Siphiwe Tshabalala and Luyolo Nomandela gave Bafana the victory to the delight of Coach Gordon Igesund who gave his lads a pat on the back not only for rising to the occasion but also putting aside the Nigerian defeat just 84 hours earlier.

    Incidentally the two scorers in Saturday’s encounter equally gave a good account of themselves in the battle against Nigeria despite the defeat at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

    A brace by Uche Nwofor, a second half substitute, was all the Stephen Keshi tutored Eagles needed to re-affirm their supremacy over the hosts and pick their second trophy in the former apartheid enclave just six months after the won the Nations Cup.

  • MANDELA CHALLENGE: Eagles defeat Bafana 2—0

    MANDELA CHALLENGE: Eagles defeat Bafana 2—0

    Uche Nwofor rose from the bench at half time, and scored twice in 18 minutes to give the Super Eagles of Nigeria a 2-0 win over a disappointing South Africa in the Mandela Challenge match played at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban on Wednesday.

    Nwofor had come on in place of Shola Ameobi, who was handed his second cap by Stephen Keshi.

    The Super Eagles had dominated the first half of the game, but did not create any clear cut chance that would have yielded a goal.

    Academical of Portugal midfielder, John Ogu, had posed the biggest threat for the South Africans, as his two shots from long range were the bright moments for the Super Eagles.

    The South Africans had their own chances too, as they caught the Eagles out twice, and got behind the defence, only to find Austin Ejide capable.

    Then came the second half.

    Nwofor scored with virtually his first touch of the ball, as he compensated for an earlier miss with an audacious back heel that sailed in for the first goal.

    Ahmed Musa should have created a third when he cut in from the left with minutes left on the game, but opted to shoot rather than feed a lurking Brown Ideye.

  • Mandela Challenge: Nigeria defeats South Africa 2-0

    Nigeria on Wednesday defeated South Africa 2-0 in the Nelson Mandela Challenge match played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa.

    Uche Nwofor’s second half brace separated the two sides.

    The former VVV Venlo striker who replaced Shola Ameobi at the start of the second half opened the scoring with a cool finish in the 49th minute.

    He capped his memorable debut with a simple tap in the 68th minute following a sweeping team move involving substitutes Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa.

     

     

  • Ameobi leads Eagles attack against South Africa

    Ameobi leads Eagles attack against South Africa

    Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi would lead the Eagles attack in place of Emmanuel Emenike against South Africa on Wednesday night.

    Ameobi, who missed the African Cup of Nations in South Africa due to a clause in his Newcastle United contract, has been outstanding in pre-season for his EPL team and he would be joined in the attack by on form CSKA Moscow hitman Ahmed Musa and Russia-based returnee Victor Obinna Nsofor, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The Eagles defence would be marshalled by Turkey-bound Godfrey Oboabona alongside Warri Wolves Azubuike Egwekwe in the heart of defence with Elderson Echiejile and Efe Ambrose holding the wing back positions.

    Stand-in captain Austin Ejide is standing between the sticks.

    In the midfield are – John Ogu, Sunday Mba and Ogenyi Onazi.

    Eagles starting XI:

    Austin Ejide – Efe Ambrose,Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Elderson Echiejile – Sunday Mba, John Ogu, Ogenyi Onazi- Shola Ameobi, Obinna Nsofor, Ahmed Musa.