Bafana Bafana of South Africa have put behind them the historic win over host Egypt last Saturday night and resume training for the cracker against Super Eagles of Nigeria tomorrow in Cairo.
The 1996 champions on home soil had been on temporary holiday since the feat at the Cairo International Stadium with a late lone goal win over host, Egypt but returned to business with a light training in the morning before the major one late yesterday evening.
Super Eagles on their part did a recovery training on Sunday before moving to Cairo for the match.
The match is scheduled for Cairo International Stadium on Wednesday at 8pm local time with Semifinal ticket at stake.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana Captain Thulani Hlatshwayo believes the team can achieve another big feat by knocking out three-time champions, Nigeria from the tournament.
The Bafana Bafana only picked a spot in the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams in the competition after winning one (1-0 vs Namibia) and losing two (1-0 to Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco) in Group D. Rhey finished third behind Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire.
Hlatshwayo believes the win against Egypt will spur his side to perform well against the Super Eagles.
“We knew coming into the game with Egypt that we had to bring heroics. We had to prove to everyone but more importantly to our nation and ourselves, that we can deliver. Our preparation for that game was intense, we knew we had to give it everything we had, and that paid off,” Hlatshwayo told the Bafana Bafana media.
“We’ve now made it into the AFCON quarterfinals for the sixth time in our history, this gives us an opportunity to really chase our dream to win. Our next game is against our biggest rival team, Nigeria.”
Hlatshwayo added: “We know playing them will be tough, but we have a clear understanding of our mission, and we’ll give it our all once again. This is an opportunity for us to regain trust from the fans, to truly discover our identity and have confidence in our capabilities. As captain, I’m confident in the team and what we can achieve.
“There’s a lot of pressure on us to perform well, therefore it is our intention to do our best. It is no longer just about participating but about earning our place on the greatest stage in Africa.
“Whatever the outcome, this is only the beginning for us. I believe that this is a new era and opportunity to do well and participate more in global football competitions. The hope for this tournament is to bring the confidence South Africans once had in us when the team won the tournament in 1996.”
