The super Eagle of Nigeria has beaten the Bafana Bafana of South Africa to qualify for the African Cup of Nations Final in a 5 to 2 aggregate score.
Troost-Ekong converted from the penalty spot, when Victor Oshimen was fouled, giving Nigeria a 1-0 lead against South Africa.
Osimhen scores! However, VAR overrules after Alhassan Yusuf previously took down a South African player in the Super Eagles area, leading up to Osimhen’s disallowed goal. South Africa was awarded a penalty, which Teboho Mokoena converted in the 83rd minute.
After 120 minutes of football, the game ended 1 -1, leading to a penalty shoot-out.
Super Eagle players Terem Moffi, Kenneth Omeruo, William Troost-Ekong, and Kelechi Iheanacho all converted from the spot during the penalty while Ola Aina missed.
Super Eagle Goal Keeper, Stanley Nwabali saved while Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa penalties while Mihlali Mayambela and Mothobi Mvala of the South Africa team scored during the penalty shoot-out.
Nigeria faced South Africa in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations semi-final this evening at Bouake’s Stade de la Paix in an exciting match.
Both teams have been defensively solid throughout the tournament, with Nigeria only allowing one goal en route to the last four – in their first game against Equatorial Guinea – and keeping four clean sheets in a row.
South Africa in a penalty shootout triumph over Cape Verde, when Bafana Bafana held their opponents to a goalless draw and kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet.
The Super Eagles, who have struggled for goals in this tournament, defeated Angola in the quarter-finals courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s first-half score. It was the game’s sole goal, and Nigeria triumphed 1-0 for the third time in the tournament.
Nigeria has only made it this far in the competition once since winning the championship more than a decade ago. They have lost five of their past six Afcon semi-final matches, although this pales in contrast to South Africa, which last reached the last four in 2000.
cc: Independent UK