To be or not to be? That is the question Nigeria must answer today when the Flying Eagles confront South Africa’s Amajita in one of the semifinals of the ongoing Africa U-20 Cup of Nations holding in Egypt.
 
Nigeria struggled to qualify from Group B in the early stage of the competition but rose beyond the ordinary to beat defending champions, Senegal, in the quarterfinals. But they are confronted by a South African team full of ambitions and eager to show that they have come of age in the U-20 category of African football.
 
To qualify for the semifinals, the Amajita lost to hosts, Egypt, 1-0, defeated Tanzania 1-0, whipped Sierra Leone 4-1, drew 1-1 with Zambia in the group stage before overcoming Congo DR 1-0 in the quarterfinals.
 
However, the South Africans are billed to meet a Nigerian side, whose coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has assured his compatriots that his wards would recapture the trophy they last won in 2015.
 
After coming through a pulsating quarterfinal encounter with Senegal, pundits have tipped the seven-time champions to go all the way, provided they maintain the same tempo in their remaining games.
 
And Zubairu is of the same heartbeat. “I believe we are going to have a great semifinal 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 ourselves and the defending champions on Monday,” Zubairu said ahead of today’s match.
 
He added: “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.”
 
Zubairu said that his team has improved considerably since the first match against Tunisia on the first day of May, adding: “We can all see that the team has improved, and actually getting better with each match. We will go all out against the South Africans.”
 
Apart from their seven titles, Nigeria have also finished as runners-up on two occasions (1999 and 2007), and as bronze medallists on two other occasions as well (2009 and 2013).
  
To set up a clash with the most decorated team in the competition’s history, the Amajita had to also endure a 120-minute affray against the Democratic Republic of Congo, also at the same Suez Canal Authority Stadium where the Flying Eagles upended Senegal’s expectations. They won their game 1-0 after extra time.
 
Nigeria collected four of her seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989) before South Africa (isolated for decades) was assimilated into global sport following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990. 
 
In today’s second semifinal, hosts and four-time winners Egypt – conquerors of 1999 world champions Ghana -will take on Morocco in Cairo.