By Obaloluwa Joshua, Abidjan
South Africa head coach, Hugo Broos says his side will be up for the battle against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The former champions defeated Cape Verde 2-1 on penalties on Saturday night to earn a place in the semi-finals.
The Bafana Bafana last played in the last four at the 2000 edition which they lost 2-0 against Nigeria.
“When we got to the penalty shootout, it was a special thing for the players, because during training they were scoring them. When we have a goalkeeper who stops 4 penalty kicks, this is not luck but a lot of hard work,”Broos was quoted by CAFonline.
“Not many people in South Africa believed in this team, but we believed in it, and the players believed in themselves as well. Reaching the semi-finals is in itself a good thing for South African football.
“There was a lot of pressure in the match. Everyone wanted to qualify. This match was unlike the previous ones. We did not show the same performance as we had in previous matches. READ ALSO:
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“The semi-final match will be different against Nigeria, which has good players like Lookman. We will not lose focus. The players will be in good condition, so we need to rest and recover to start our preparation”.
The encounter will take place at the Stade de la Paix, Bouake on Wednesday.