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Super Eagles get surprise boost ahead of crunch Bafana tie

Nigeria have reportedly received a surprise boost ahead of their crunch semi-final tie against South Africa at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Talismanic Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen was initially not able to join up the rest of the rest of the squad who had flown from Bouake to Abidjan on Monday ahead of the final-four match, but is now said to be available for selection for the all-important encounter. 

Read: Nigerian coach warns: Don't underrate Bafana Bafana! 

The 25-year-old was forced off the field during their 1-0 quarter-final victory over Angola on Friday due to what is believed to have been abdominal discomfort.

He then missed his team's training session on Monday, leading to fears that he would miss the crunch tie against South Africa. 

The Napoli star has, however, since have joined up with his teammates in time as they look to secure their spot in the final of AFCON 2023. 

"Victor Osimhen has been declared fit and available for selection in the semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday," a team spokesperson told AFP

"He has joined the team in Bouake and has trained with the squad today.". 

Despite having only scored one goal in the competition thus far, the striker has been key for his team going forward.

The reigning CAF African Men's Player of the Year has registered 19 shots and created six chances, and provided an assist too. He also has an xG (expected goals) of 3.09 per 90 minutes. 

Although Nigeria are, without a doubt, a threat going forward, Super Eagles boss Jose Peseiro recently called for his side to create more scoring opportunities and to be more efficient in front of goal. 

Read: OFFICIAL: Egypt announce new head coach

At the other end of the pitch, the Super Eagles have also been impressive. They have conceded just one goal at the tournament so far, and will be hoping their defence will be just as tight when they take on Bafana, who are yet to concede a goal since suffering a 2-0 defeat to Mali in their opening game. 

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