Bafana Bafana continued their solid start to their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign when they held defending African champions Nigeria to a goalless draw in Cape Town on Wednesday night.
Nigeria and Bafana Bafana goalless draw was a safe, though not the best. result last night in Group A of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between two of the continent’s fiercest rivals.
The encounter, in front of near-full capacity crowd, lacked goals but was never short of heart-stopping moments – Sibusiso Vilakazi and Tokelo Rantie’s bursting runs forward ending with just loud cheers but not a bulging net.
Mashaba had promised to match the Super Eagles “pound-for-pound”, and his players followed his instructions to the tee. Andile Jali passed a late fitness test to play and got stuck in with no fear or stage fright and produced a man-of-the-match display.
Nigeria’s Obi Mikel targeted Bafana’s destroyer and was lucky not to have been booked by referee Joshua Bondo from Botswana. It was not just the hosts who raised the stakes here following a 3-0 win away against Sudan in their group opener in Khartoum last Friday.
The visitors had a much-improved showing last night having stumbled to a 3-2 defeat in their own backyard against Congo a day after Bafana’s triumph.
While Nigeria relied on their physicality, Bafana took them on with speed and a predictable piano and shoeshine display .
Bafana skipper Senzo Meyiwa and his Super Eagles opposite number Austin Ejide were almost spectators . Nigeria opted to take long-range shots because they could not break South Africa’s resolute back-four of Mulomowandau Mathoho, Anele Ngcongca, Thabo Matlaba and Thulani Hlatshwayo.
And when the Super Eagles came close to getting the opener with Ighodaro Osaguona’s header, Mathoho cleared the ball off the line. Bafana kept pressing, but were too frail in their power and strength against the opposition defence in the penalty box.
l Other Afcon results last night: Senegal 2, Botswana 0; Lesotho 1, Gabon 1; Mozambique 1, Niger 1; Cape Verde Islands 2, Zambia 1; Uganda 2, Guinea 0 and Tunisia 1, Egypt 0.