The Nigeria U20 coach has suggested that the existing rivalry between his country and South Africa will make their upcoming semi-final at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations even more significant.
South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco are the four semi-finalists at the current U20 AFCON.
By virtue of reaching the last four, all remaining teams have secured qualification for the U20 FIFA World Cup later this year in Chile.
Read: Race for CAF CL spot heat up for Ramovic & Zinnbauer
However, none of the sides can dwell on those celebrations for long, as the AFCON semi-finals await, with Amajita set to face Nigeria on Thursday evening at 17:00 South African time.
The undeniable rivalry between the two footballing nations is something Nigeria coach Aliyu Zubairu is well aware of, and he admits it could add intensity to the fixture.
According to Nigeriasoccernet.com, Zubairu said: "I believe we are going to have a great semi-final against the South Africans.
"I can guarantee that our approach will be much better, as the anxiety of whether or not we will earn a FIFA World Cup ticket is no longer there. It was a tense 120 minutes for us and the defending champions on Monday.
“We have the World Cup ticket now and are quite happy. Against South Africa, we will play with great determination and composure, as we aim for the trophy, but without the tense atmosphere around the last match.
"Of course, we know the little matter of the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa and what the game means, and we will go in there to do a real battle.
“We can all see that the team has improved and is getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans.”
Read: Veldwijk: I had a 45-minute call with Rulani
By Lukhanyo Mtuta
Follow him here on X
