Tag: NIGERIA v/s IVORY COAST

Hosts Ivory Coast will face Nigeria for the first time in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday. The Elephants booked their spot after edging DR Congo 1-0. Meanwhile, the Super Eagles beat South Africa on penalties after their semi-final ended 1-1 after extra time. Substitute forward Kelechi Iheanacho and goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali played key roles as Nigeria beat South Africa 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday in an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final thriller. The three-time champions will face hosts Ivory Coast, who dominated the Democratic Republic of Congo but had to settle for a 1-0 win in Abidjan, in the final on Sunday. "Our team has a huge state of mind. The team fights together, There are 25 of us (in the squad and) it's difficult to beat us," said Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro Deep down, thinking about that second cancelled (Nigerian) goal and the (South African equaliser), a lot of teams would have given up."I am very happy, the players are happy, they deserve it, we deserve it, the Super Eagles deserve it, the Nigerian people deserve it."South Africa coach Hugo Broos said: "Football can be cruel. You play a bad match against Cape Verde, you win on penalties. You play a very good match against Nigeria and lose on penalties." When does AFCON FINAL going to take place? The Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé is the host venue for the 2023 AFCON final, which takes place on February 11.