Reliable bookmaker 1xBet announces the hot AFCONsemi-finals, which will occur on February 7.
Nigeria vs South Africa
Bookmaker 1xBet considers Nigeria the main favorite of the
tournament and accepts bets on its victory with odds of 2.2. According to this
indicator, the Super Eagles are significantly ahead of the tournament hosts and
will be favorites in the semi-finals.
The main trump card of the traditionally attacking Nigerian
team unexpectedly became defence. Jose Peseiro’s team allowed only 1 goal in
the first round, and Stanley Nwabili became a real discovery of the tournament
and has not conceded for 414 minutes. The 27-year-old goalkeeper spent most of
his career in Nigeria, and since last season, ironically, he has been playing
in the South African Premier Division, where he defends the colours of Chippa
United.
That being said, don’t underestimate the Super Eagles’
attack. The Nigerians hit the opponents’ goal in every match, something their
competitors cannot boast of. The leader of the attack was Ademola Lookman, who
scored all 3 of his goals in the playoffs and is the top AFCON scorer among the
remaining players in the tournament. The performance of the Atalanta
midfielder, who often plays as a deep-lying forward, compensates for Victor
Osimhen’s problems. Napoli’s star forward has scored 1 goal so far but is extremely
useful in play-by-play and is excellent at collecting fouls.
Nigeria also has head-to-head statistics on its side. The
Super Eagles won all three of their Africa Cup of Nations matches against the
South Africans, including the semi-finals of the 2000 tournament.
The South African national team will play in the AFCON
semi-finals for the first time in 24 years and can already consider the current
tournament a success. It will be difficult for Bafana Bafana to achieve a new
feat, but no one bet on them before the ⅛ match with Morocco. Belgian coach
Hugo Broos carefully prepares for each opponent and plays to his team’s
strengths, which include defence. The South Africans have not conceded 414
minutes in the tournament and feel comfortable as an underdog.
Made up of mostly domestic players, South Africa’s team is
well-executed and confident, thanks to the solid performance of goalkeeper
Ronwen Williams. He saved 4 shots in the quarterfinal penalty shootout against
Cape Verde and caused Moroccan Achraf Hakimi to miss. If the main and extra
time ends in a draw, the Nigerians’ chances of winning will be minimal.
Cote d’Ivoire vs DR Congo
Ivory Coast last won the AFCON in 2015, with DR Congo
finishing as runners-up. The team of Yaya and Kolo Toure beat their current
opponents in the semi-finals and consider the new match with Leopards a good
sign.
The path of the Africa Cup of Nations hosts through the
tournament is reminiscent of the movie character Rocky Balboa’s fight, where he
receives heavy blows and gets knocked down, but in the championship rounds,
finds a second wind and heroically achieves victory. Côte d’Ivoire entered the
playoffs with 3 points and a goal difference of 2-5. After a 0-4 defeat in the
group by Equatorial Guinea, the Elephants fired the head coach, and the local
specialist Emerse Fae, who replaced him, relied on extreme motivation. With the
crazy support of the crowd, this plan worked, and Côte d’Ivoire beat Senegal in
a penalty shootout and Mali in overtime. In both matches, the tournament hosts
conceded first and saved themselves in the last minutes of regular time. Moreover,
in the quarterfinals with the Malians, the Elephants were left with ten of them
in the first half but scored the winning goal in the 120th minute. Odilon
Kossounou, who failed that match, and Oumar Diakite, who scored the decisive
goal, will miss the semi-finals due to disqualification.
The DR Congo team experienced fewer emotional shocks but
beat its nerves in the penalty shootout with Egypt in the 1/8 finals. The
Leopards achieved only one victory in regulation time throughout the entire
tournament, beating Guinea in the quarterfinals with a score of 3-1. Côte
d’Ivoire could not have dreamed of a better opponent at this tournament stage.
Choose your favorites in the unpredictable AFCON semi-finals
and enjoy the best teams in Africa with 1xBet!
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