Wins Bafana Bafana 4:2 on penalties
by Osita Chinedu
The Super Eagles of Nigeria has booked a place in the finals of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in Cote d’Ivore.
The Eagles soared high above the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 4:2 on penalties after the semifinal encounter ended 1:1 after extra time.
Nigeria took the lead in the 67th minute when team captain William Ekong-Troost fired in from the spot to convert a penalty kick as skipper Victor Osimhen was brought down in the box.
The job seemed done in the last minutes of regulation time when Victor Osimhen tapped in a breakaway counter attack to get the second goal for Nigeria only for VAR to overturn the goal and awarded South Africa a penalty kick due to a foul on Percy Tau right in the box by Alhassan Pigui in the build-up to the counter.
Teboho Mokoena made no mistakes in converting the spot kick and levelled the scores to 1:1 which took the game into extra time. The scores remained 1:1 after the extra time that called for a penalty shootout.
Nigeria won the game through kelechi Iheanacho’s last winner from the spot and the heroic gloves of goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali who saved two of Bafana Bafana penalty kicks. The Super Eagles of Nigeria will meet the Elephants of Cote d’Ivore who edged out the DR Congo by a lone goal in the second semifinal match.
The final match between Nigeria and the host nation Cote d’Ivore will be played on Sunday 11th February while the South Africans will face the DR Congo on Saturday 10th February for the third place match.
