Helman Mkhalele looks back at AFCON 2000 semi-final and Nigeria rivalry

This Saturday will mark 24 years since that encounter, but before then Bafana will face the same opposition at the same stage of this year’s AFCON in Bouaké on Wednesday evening.

It has been a long wait for South Africa to reach the last four of the continental showpiece again, and Mkhalele has played his part in helping the current squad return to this stage as a technical team member. 

Speaking to the traveling SA media at their base in Côte d’Ivoire on Monday, Mkhalele took a trip down memory lane and reflected on this rivalry between two Anglophone superpowers in Africa.

"Ja, going to that game, I still remember when we landed in Lagos, people were raising their hands and said, 'You're going to get [beaten by] five,'" recalled 'Midnight Express'.

"If you saw, there was so much – in inverted comas – 'that hatred', and I believe maybe as a team, we couldn't handle that type of pressure [before the match].

"But when we got onto the pitch, I would say we made some mistakes that cost us dearly, and playing against a top team with top players in Africa – even the world, I think that sealed our fate because you can't make mistakes against top players.

"All of a sudden it was 2-0, and to have to chase that game was really hard."

This had been the first time the Super Eagles and Bafana clashed at an AFCON after political issues in Nigeria prevented them from defending their title in South Africa in 1996. Mkhalele, who was in the starting line-up on the day, says this was a very tough game, and by the 35th minute the game was over as a contest following Tijani Babangida’s brace.

From then, there has always been a serious rivalry between the two nations, which has now even transcended football into entertainment, politics, and other areas – fuelling the upcoming encounter at the Stade de la Paix.

"Going forward from 2000, the Nigerians were always been mocking us and saying bad things about us, but fortunately over the years, we started to close that gap," added Mkhalele.

"Even now, today, I still believe that as much as they claim dominance, they are no longer claiming it with that same confidence. So, that is what I believe our players will just carry [into the game], because they just want to make history for themselves."

ALSO READ: 'I can guarantee you, Ronwen Williams is a striker'