Nigeria vs South Africa: Nigeria secured a 4-2 penalty shootout triumph over South Africa in a thrilling Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash in Bouake, with Kelechi Iheanacho stepping up to score the winning goal.
The match concluded with a 1-1 draw in extra time, and the team that has won the championship three times will now face either Ivory Coast or the Democratic Republic of Congo, who will be playing later, in the final on Sunday.
Both goals during regular time were penalty kicks, with Nigeria’s captain William Troost-Ekong scoring in the 67th minute, and Teboho Mokoena equalizing in the 90th minute.
Nigeria believed they had scored a second goal through a tap-in from their star forward Victor Osimhen, but the play was brought back to the opposite end of the field after VAR alerted the Egyptian referee about a foul on South African Percy Tau in the penalty area. The match official agreed with the decision.
Khuliso Mudau missed a golden opportunity to secure a victory for South Africa in added time, as his shot went over the crossbar after goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali deflected a free kick from Mokoena.
In the 115th minute, South Africa was reduced to 10 men when Grant Kekana was shown a red card for a foul as the last defender.
Nigeria had a flawless record against South Africa in the prestigious African football competition, having won all three previous encounters. They defeated Bafana Bafana 2-0 in a 2000 semi-final in Nigeria, 4-0 in a group stage match four years later in Tunisia, and 2-1 in a 2019 quarter-final in Egypt.
Ahead of the match, Nigeria’s coach Jose Peseiro made a single change to the team that triumphed over Angola 1-0. Bright Osayi-Samuel replaced left-back Zaidu Sanusi, who was unable to train on the eve of the game.
Despite experiencing abdominal discomfort that delayed his arrival in Bouake from Abidjan, star Napoli forward Osimhen started for the three-time champions.
Osimhen is causing fear.
Some Nigerians in the stadium showed their support for Osimhen by wearing replicas of the protective face mask he still wears three years after suffering an eye socket injury.
Belgium-born South Africa coach Hugo Broos made a change to the team after their victory on penalties over Cape Verde. Central defender Siyanda Xulu was brought back into the squad, while Thapelo Morena was benched.
During the tense and lively first half, South Africa had an equal number of shots at goal as Nigeria, but they had more shots on target, greater possession, and forced more corners.
Shortly after the match started, Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year, knelt down clutching his abdomen. However, he received treatment and continued to play with great determination.
When Nigeria was awarded a free-kick, Semi Ajayi headed the ball weakly towards goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who had previously saved four penalties in the shootout against Cape Verde.
Percy Tau had a couple of half-chances for South Africa, but his weak shot and heavy first touch let him down in front of the 32,000 spectators.
Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, who plays for South African club Chippa United, made a good one-handed save to deny Evidence Makgopa just before half-time.
With Nigeria dominating the game, the deadlock was broken in the middle of the second half when Mothobi Mvala fouled Osimhen and Troost-Ekong successfully converted the penalty.
As the match approached its final 15 minutes, Makgopa narrowly missed the target as South Africa desperately searched for an equalizer in the city of Abidjan.
The match then saw Osimhen’s disallowed goal, Mokoena’s equalizer, Mudau’s missed opportunity, and 30 minutes of intense extra time action, including a red card for Kekana, before the shootout took place.
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