A Nigerian coach has now warned his national side to not underrate Bafana Bafana ahead of the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Former Super Eagles assistant coach Fanny Amun shared his thoughts ahead of the decisive encounter, and admitted he was surprised Jose Peseiro's men have made it this far in the competition.
Both teams had rough starts to the tournament, with Nigeria drawing 1-1 with Equatorial Guinea in their opener, a match they were criticised for as many believed it was a match they should have won.
Bafana, meanwhile, lost 2-0 to Mali in their first game.
Both teams, however, managed to pick themselves up and put in stellar displays to reach the semi-finals.
Amun believes that because Hugo Broos and his side have progressed to the final four, the threat they pose should not be taken lightly.
"I hope they consolidate on it and do not underrate any team in the semi-final game. The past of the two teams does not matter; with each match, I've seen improvement," the 61-year-old said.
"We should be prepared to give the match with South Africa our best; we shouldn't underrate any team that has made it to the semi-finals.
"The two teams are in the semi-finals, and I know that a team must win and a team must lose.
"There must be a winner. Let's cross this semi-final bridge first, and from there, we will see how it goes.
"But I can tell you the finals will be very exciting; this year's edition of AFCON has been filled with pleasant surprises."
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Amun went on to admit that things looked bleak for the Super Eagles heading into the tournament.
"First and foremost, I've never been one of those 'doubting Thomases' who predicted Nigeria would do well or not, because I'm not a soothsayer," he added.
"I never knew they would do well. Normally, people love to predict, but I have always known that you can't predict any game.
"The beginning was rough. Toward AFCON qualifiers, those matches that they played in Uyo and outside Uyo were difficult; you don't blame the fans for criticising the team.
"If the expectation was high, they probably would have done badly, but the expectation was low; now they have performed beyond expectation."
As has been the pattern of AFCON 2023 thus far, it has become increasingly hard to predict matches given the shock results and upsets that have enthralled spectators and analysts alike.
The semi-final clash between Nigeria and South Africa due to take place on Wednesday evening looks set to continue that trend of unpredictability, premium entertainment, and quality.
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