Super Eagles Defeats South Africa, Qualifies For Afcon Finals

The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 4-2 on penalties to advance to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The match ended 1-1 after extra time, and the three-time champions will face either hosts Ivory Coast or the Democratic Republic of Congo in Sunday's final.

Both regular-time goals were penalty kicks, with Nigeria's captain William Troost-Ekong scoring after 67 minutes and Teboho Mokoena equalising in the 90th minute.

Mokoena's equalizer came after Nigeria thought they had scored a second goal with a tap-in from star forward Victor Osimhen.

However, play was resumed at the other end of the field after VAR informed the Egyptian referee that South African Percy Tau had been fouled in the area, and the match official agreed.

Bobo Nwabali's two saves helped Nigeria defeat South Africa 4-2 in penalties, advancing to the AFCON final. They will now face Ivory Coast or DR Congo in the final.

Nigeria dominated territory early on but struggled to find weaknesses in South Africa's well-organized defense. South Africa, meanwhile, targeted the area behind Nigeria's defense, and their clarity of purpose made them appear more threatening.

The first half, however, remained goalless, and Nigeria took the lead after captain William Troost-Ekong scored from the penalty spot.

Then, on 85 minutes, they appeared to have clinched the game with Victor Osimhen executing a fantastic counter. But VAR returned playback to the start of the move, determining that Alhassan Yusuf had fouled Percy Tau, and as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, Teboho Mokoena scored from the spot.

Both teams pressed for a victory in extra time, but neither succeeded. While Ola Aina missed Nigeria's third penalty, Mokoena, Evidence Makgopa, and Mothobi Mvala missed South Africa's first, third, and fourth penalties, advancing the Super Eagles to the final.