Egypt 2025: Zubairu Promises More Composed Flying Eagles Against South Africa

Egypt 2025: Zubairu Promises More Composed Flying Eagles Against South Africa

Ibrahim Latest

Aliyu Zubairu has assured that Nigeria's U20 squad will perform even better when they face South Africa's Amajita in the first semi-final of the ongoing CAF U20 Cup of Nations in Ismailia on Thursday evening, reports BSNSports.com.ng.

Pundits have praised the seven-time champions for dominating their challenging quarter-final match against Senegal at the same venue on Monday, where they eliminated the Cup holders with a 3-1 victory in a penalty shootout.

“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 since the anxiety regarding our FIFA World Cup qualification is no longer an issue. It was a tense 120 minutes for both our team and the defending champions on Monday," Zubairu said.

 “We now have the World Cup ticket and are quite happy about it. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure as we aim for the trophy, without the tense atmosphere we faced in the last match. Of course, we are aware of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what this match means; we will prepare for a real battle,” Zubairu added on Tuesday.

The coach, who led El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to victory in last year’s President Federation Cup, believes his team has improved significantly since their first match against Tunisia on May 1.

“We can all see that the team has been progressing and getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans,” he stated.

In addition to their seven titles, Nigeria has finished as runners-up on two occasions (1999 and 2007) and won bronze medals twice (2009 and 2013).

To set up a clash with the most-decorated team in the competition’s history, the Amajita also endured a tough 120-minute match against the Democratic Republic of Congo, which took place at the same Suez Canal Authority Stadium where the Flying Eagles shocked Senegal. 

They won that game 1-0 after extra time. Nigeria secured four of their seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) before South Africa was welcomed back into global sport following Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990.

Amajita made their first appearance in the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in 1997, finishing as runners-up to hosts Morocco, while Nigeria did not qualify that year.

Four years later, in Ethiopia, both Nigeria and South Africa finished bottom of their group and were eliminated in the group stage, which still stands as Nigeria’s worst performance in the tournament's history.

In 2009, Nigeria defeated South Africa 2-1 for the bronze medal, and four years later, they again captured bronze by defeating Mali by the same scoreline in Algeria.

As hosts in 2011, Amajita exited at the group stage, winning one and losing two matches, while Nigeria claimed their sixth title with a 3-2 victory over Cameroon in the final in Soweto.

In 2015, Nigeria achieved their seventh title in Senegal, while South Africa struggled in the group stage with losses to Ghana and Mali.

Eight years ago, Nigeria did not qualify for the tournament, and South Africa finished in fourth place. In 2019, in Niger Republic, Nigeria defeated South Africa 5-3 in a penalty shootout to secure the bronze medals after both teams drew scoreless in another group phase match.

In the second semi-final on Thursday, hosts Egypt—four-time winners and conquerors of the 1999 world champions Ghana—will take on Morocco in Cairo.