Ademola scored the only goal of the match as Nigeria defeated Angola in the quarter-finals of the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast.
South Africa coach Hugo Bruce remains optimistic about the match against Nigeria’s Super Eagles, where both teams will meet in the semi-finals of the 2023 AFCON, Soccernet.ng reported.
Bruce, 71, has been the manager of Bafana Bafana since 2021 and led South Africa to the semi-finals of the 2023 AFCON tournament.
For the Belgian tactician, before his team went into a penalty shoot-out against Cape Verde, goalkeeper Ronwen Hayden-Williams came into his own, saving four penalties for the former AFCON champions on the bench. It was an intense time.
The former Club Brugge manager said in his post-match press conference that his team is well prepared for Wednesday’s match against José Peceiro’s team in Bouaké.
“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, who have a good player like Lookman. We haven’t lost focus and the players are in good shape. So I need to rest and recover to start preparing,” said the former Cameroon coach.
The coach talks about his team’s hard-fought victory over Cape Verde and describes how he conducted himself on the sideline.
“Let’s say six hours ago I was 71 and now I’m 75. It was a stressful game, especially the penalties. “What happens when you have to take a penalty? You know, it’s a very special situation for the players,” the coach added.
Goalkeepers from both teams, Stanley Nwabari and Ronwen Hayden-Williams, have kept four clean sheets in Ivory Coast.
