By Samuel A. February 3, 2024
The Super Eagles defeated the Palancas Negras of Angola courtesy of a first half goal from Ademola Lookman to reach the final four of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The former England under-21 converted a cutback from Moses Simon just before the break in Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny stadium in Abidjan.
The 1-0 scoreline flattered Angola, who were second best for most of the game as Nigeria had most of the chances in the game, with striker Victor Osimhen having a powerful header ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee (VAR) in the 75th minute. Minutes later, Angola centre-back Gaspar also denied the Napoli striker with a fantastic last ditch tackle.
On the other hand, Angola’s best of their few chances fell to frontman Zine, who rolled the ball against the base of the post when clean through on goal just before the hour mark, few minutes into the second half.
Angola carved out the first chance of the game, as Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali tipped Mabululu’s effort away following Gilberto’s flick from a corner, however, the Angolans showed little intention of overattacking in the first period, preferring to sit deep and soak up pressure before launching counter attacks. Zito Luvumbo had a late shot palmed away by Nwabali and the three time Nations Cup winners saw out seven minutes of added time to reach the semis of the competition for the 15th time in their past 18 appearances.
Nigeria will now face South Africa on Wednesday February 7.
