Pushed into a penalty shootout, Nigeria had to fight hard on Wednesday in the semi-final of CAN 2024 against South Africa in a match that remained undecided for a long time and had a completely crazy scenario. The Super Eagles will try to win their fourth continental trophy on Sunday against the winner of the match between Ivory Coast and DR Congo.
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5 mins
The life of the favorites is far from being a long, quiet river in this CAN-2024. New illustration with Nigeria, forced to play its place in the final of the competition on penalties against South Africa on Wednesday February 7, at the end of a match with an improbable scenario.
From the first minutes of this semi-final, the Super Eagles took the game into their own hands with very high pressure which disrupted the recovery of Bafana Bafana. The first alert comes at 13e minute but Osimhen, the star striker of Napoli, is too fair to head a well-taken free kick which deceives the vigilance of the South African goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams.
Despite possession to their advantage and the incessant activity of their detonator Ademola Lookman, author of the three Nigerian goals since the eighth, the Super Eagles however fail to appear dangerous in the last thirty meters.
On the contrary, it is Bafana Bafana who are taking their heads out of the water with a first shot on target. On a nice combination initiated by Percy Tau, Sithole attempts a long shot but too axial to worry Nwabali. A few moments later, South Africa went on the offensive once again but the Bafana Bafana center, which could have turned into a goal ball, was saved at the last minute by Onyeka’s sliding tackle. The best defense in the competition suffers but holds up.
Against all odds, South Africa plays the game. Banking on long balls behind the defenders, Hugo Broos’ men are still threatening in the 38the. On an ingenious delivery from Percy Tau, Makgopa had plenty of time to adjust a ball at the entrance to the area but his curling shot was kept aside by the Nigerian goalkeeper’s nice relaxation.
Under pressure, Nigeria seeks to regain the initiative at the end of the first half but struggles to be incisive, like this missed header from a corner by Victor Osimhen (43e), the star of the Super Eagles, an uncertain time for this meeting due to abdominal pain but finally started by José Peseiro.
Returning from the locker room, Nigeria, which had not had any extra time to play in its previous meetings, seemed to gain the physical upper hand over a Bafana Bafana team whose squad had changed little during the competition. More impactful, Nigeria’s offensive armada begins to find spaces like this nice number from Lookman at the entrance to the area who gets rid of three defenders and serves Onyeka behind. But his shot flies into the stands.
Emotional elevator
Nigerian efforts are rewarded at the 63rde. Victor Osimhen is the victim of an illegal charge in the penalty area. William Troost-Ekong takes care of the sentence. His penalty is poorly taken but miraculously slips under the South African goalkeeper’s flank. The captain once again plays the executioners of Bafana Bafana during the CAN, he who scored the winning goal at the end of the quarter-final between the two teams in 2019.
But Bafana Bafana are far from having said their last word. On a sublime oriented control, Makgopa moves in the direction of travel and unleashes a powerful strike which skims the Nigerian post (63e).
But South Africa seems to have slowed down and Victor Osimhen takes the opportunity to double the lead. We then believe the match is over but the goal is canceled for a foul committed in the Nigerian area at the start of the action. Mokoena’s counter is perfect. Nigeria, which already saw itself in an armchair, with its toes fanned out, in the CAN final, must start again.
Carried by this crazy scenario, Bafana Bafana finished the match on fire. After a scissors attempt from Makgopa, Hugo Broos’ men obtained at least two match points including one for Mudau who inherited a ball pushed back by Nwabali but missed the inevitable by shooting over the crossbar.
Hit but not sunk, the Nigeria team deals the first blows in extra time with a powerful shot from the inevitable Atalanta Bergamo striker, Ademola Lookman. Then Osimhen once again alerts Williams with a tense shot at the edge of the area (100e) then with a header at the start of the second period. The Super Eagles are determined to avoid a penalty shootout against the South African goalkeeper, who made four saves in this exercise against Cape Verde in the quarter-finals.
At the 111e, Moffi goes alone at goal but collapses, destabilized by Kekana’s tackle at the edge of the area. No penalty for Nigeria but a red for the South African in the last defender position. Eleven against ten, the Greens took the opportunity to give one last push but nothing worked.
The two teams must decide on penalties. In this little game, Nigeria is the most solid, helped by Nwabali who makes two great saves and allows the Super Eagles to fly to the final of CAN 2024 with the hope of hanging on their jersey a fourth star, Sunday in Abidjan.