AFCON 2019: Nigeria tramples South Africa to qualify for Semi-final

 

…Super Eagles beat Bafana Bafana 2-1

Two goals in either half of the quarter final game was all the Super Eagles of Nigeria needed to secure a place in the last four of the on-going African Cup of Nations (AFCON), in Egypt.

Villareal striker Samuel Chukwueze opened scores for Nigeria in the twenty seventh minute when he latched on the ball twice and eventually slotted it into the far-right corner of the goal post, leaving the South Africa goal keeper prostrate.

South Africa’s Bafana Bafana levelled up early in the second half through a Bongani Zungu header initially ruled out for offside before VAR replays showed a free-kick hit a Nigerian player on the way to him.

Zungu’s goal was the first in the Africa Cup of Nations given by the VAR, which has just been introduced for the quarter-finals.

But it was Udinese’s Troost-Ekong and Super Eagles’ defensive maestro who sealed the game for Nigeria, flapping a free-flowing ball into goal. His finish was into an empty net after goalkeeper Ronwen Williams badly parried Moses Simon’s corner.

Nigeria face Cote d’Ivoire or Algeria in Sunday’s second semi-final.