Here’s Bafana’s big chance
Two weekend Soccer 10 bets and Saturday’s Soccer Any 13 Xtra kick off with R200,000 cash boosts and prospects of huge payouts, but there are many opportunities to win big cash with TAB and loads of great soccer to enjoy before that - including South Africa’s bid to halt Nigeria in their tracks at AFCON tonight!
Tonight sees South Africa go into their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final as clear underdogs against Nigeria, who look to have the better team on paper and have been improving through the tournament.
But Bafana will hope hard work and graft, and flashes of brilliance from the likes of Themba Zwane, Teboho Mokoena and Percy Tau, could see them post yet another upset win that takes them to their first final since 1998.
The Super Eagles were wasteful in a 1-1 draw in their tournament opener, but since then have won four games in a row and all without conceding a goal. Three of those were by 1-0 score lines against Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Angola, while they managed a 2-0 success versus Cameroon.
They may not be free-scoring, but they are well organised and have an excellent array of attacking options with goal-scorers across their frontline.
Bafana have also kept four clean sheets in succession since their 2-0 loss to Mali in their opener. In fact, in the near nine hours of football they have played at the tournament, it was only a bad six minutes during which they conceded twice against the Malians.
The sides have met on 15 previous occasions and Nigeria lead the head-to-head 8-2 with five draws, but more recently Bafana have been a thornier opponent for the West Africans.
The other semi-final tonight pits hosts Ivory Coast against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Abidjan. When the Ivorians were humiliated 4-0 by Equatorial Guinea in their final pool match, few of their players could have imagined they would be in the semi-finals.
There were plenty of tears after that game as elimination seemed certain and coach JeanLouis Gasset was axed, but upsets elsewhere contrived to get them through. Maybe it is written in the stars for them and the support they enjoy at home is gathering momentum by the minute! Both games are included in tonight’s TAB pools.
HIRED/FIRED: Aberdeen have appointed Neil Warnock as interim manager until the end of the season. The 75-year-old has come in as a short-term replacement for Barry Robson with the club currently eighth in the Scottish Premiership.
BACK IN ACTION: Kelechi Iheanacho, the Leicester City striker, has been waiting in the wings after recovering from injury and could start for Nigeria tonight.
WHO’S HOT: Ronwen Williams’ four penalty saves against Cape Verde in Saturday’s Cup of Nations quarter-final has made him the hero of the tournament in the Ivory Coast.
WHO’S COLD: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino pointed towards the need for collective responsibility after the 4-2 home defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers last Sunday.