(REUTERS)
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Nigeria take on South Africa in the first Africa Cup of Nations semi-final this evening in what promises to be a barnstorming clash at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
Both teams have been defensively solid throughout the tournament with Nigeria only conceding one goal on their route to the final four – in their opening game against Equatorial Guinea – having kept four clean sheets in a row. That feat was matched by South Africa in their penalty shootout victory over Cape Verde after Bafana Bafana had held their opponents to a goalless draw to also record a fourth straight clean sheet.
The Super Eagles, who have been short on goals in this tournament, edged past Angola in their quarter-final thanks to Ademola Lookman’s first half strike. It was the only goal of the game and the third time in this tournament that Nigeria have won 1-0.
Only once since the last time Nigeria won the title, which was over a decade ago, have they reached this stage of the competition. They have lost five of their last six Afcon semi-final matches but that is nothing in comparison to South Africa who last reached the final four in 2000.
Follow all the action below plus get the latest Afcon odds and tips right here:
Nigeria vs South Africa – key things to know
Nigeria vs South Africa will kick off at 5 pm GMT on Wednesday 7 February 2024 at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake.
The match will be shown live on BBC Two with coverage starting at 4.30 pm GMT as well as Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.
The game can also be streamed live via the BBC Sport website and iPlayer website and app, while Sky subscribers can watch the match live via the Sky Go app.
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Ben Fleming7 February 2024 15:05
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash between Nigeria and South Africa.
Nigeria now look to the bookies’ favourites after a host of shock departures early in the tournament. And the Super Eagles continued their superb defensive record as they eased past Angola in the quarter-final.
South Africa, meanwhile, have been one of the surprises of the tournament and reached the final four for the first time in almost a quarter of a century after a penalty shootout victory over Cape Verde.
Is there another shock in store? Stay tuned for all the build-up, team news and match updates!
Ben Fleming7 February 2024 14:24
