What really went wrong for the South Africans against the Super Eagles?
They came to this match against the backdrop of a famous victory over Egypt. They were all energetic, motivated, on-form. Lorch was dispersed forward but he couldn't see much of the ball. Did they play differently against Egypt or the Super Eagles were simply better?
Against Egypt, they gave them the ball, they drew them forward and frustrated their efforts. They had Egypt's main man, Mohammed Salah man-marked and disoriented their striking force so yes, maybe they played differently but we have to give it to the Super Eagles who played the exact opposite of what Egypt played and still managed to keep them in check. They were solid in the midfield, composed, healthily compact and played a bit of front line pressure, forcing them to play long balls.
Their first half was a complete disaster even though on paper, they had more possession and the Super Eagles capitalised on that, it was exactly according to their plan. Nigeria's young winger, Chukwueze got a lot of joy from the Bafana Bafana, he ran through them, around them, made sumptuous passes, showed speed and agility and placed everything on a continuous loop throughout the match to the detriment of the South Africans.
Ighalo, the man who got the previous man of the match was relatively unknown, What happened?. I think that was the only part the South Africans got correctly, they had him by the tail. The goal in the second half sprung them into life and they started playing as they should have been playing. For a moment there, it could have gone either way but it just didn't go their way. Another dagger was struck in the hearts of the South Africans as a set-piece caused miscommunication in the defense but before they could realise what was going on, the net has already been ruffled, from inside out.
So, overcomplacency it is?