Nigeria Advances to Semi-Finals of 2023 AFCON with Victory Over Angola

In the ongoing 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations held in Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, have secured a place in the semi-finals. After finishing as runners-up in Group A, the team defeated Cameroon 2-0 in the round of 16, with Ademola Lookman emerging as the hero by scoring both goals. Lookman continued his impressive performance in the quarter-finals, securing a 1-0 victory over Angola with a late first-half goal.

The Super Eagles will face off against South Africa in the semi-finals, which will be held at Bouaké’s Stade de la Paix on Wednesday, 7 February. This will be Nigeria’s first match outside of Abidjan during the tournament. Kick-off is scheduled for 17:00 local time in Bouaké, which corresponds to 18:00 local time in Nigeria.

The 2023 AFCON is being broadcast live across Africa and the rest of the world. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has the objective of making the tournament accessible on free-to-air TV throughout the continent. For Nigerian viewers, the local broadcaster is AfroSport. Global broadcasters such as beIN Sport, CANAL+, GTV, Supersports, ZIGGO Sport, Sky Sports, and the CAF’s own media channels will also provide coverage in various countries.

The Super Eagles have demonstrated a solid defense throughout the tournament, conceding just one goal so far. However, they have struggled in previous AFCON semi-finals, losing five out of their last six encounters. South Africa, on the other hand, has not reached the semi-finals since 2000 and is eager to claim their first AFCON title since 1996.

In their last meeting at the 2019 Cup of Nations quarter-finals, Nigeria emerged victorious with a late 89th-minute winning goal from captain William Troost-Ekong, eliminating South Africa from the tournament. Both teams have showcased exceptional defensive prowess in this edition of AFCON, indicating that a single goal may determine the outcome of the match.

Nigeria’s head coach Jose Peseiro has deployed a 3-4-3 formation throughout the tournament, with Ademola Lookman being the standout player, having already netted three goals in the knockout stages. South Africa’s coach Hugo Broos has established a stable lineup, relying on the defensive strength of Mamelodi Sundowns players. However, he may make adjustments to the attack following a goalless match against Cape Verde.

Given the impressive defensive performances from both sides, this highly anticipated match is expected to be closely contested. Nigeria has the advantage of recent success against South Africa in major tournaments, but anything can happen in a knockout game. The odds favor Nigeria to advance to the final, but South Africa will undoubtedly put up a strong fight to write their own success story in the tournament.

Super Eagles fans and football enthusiasts can catch the action live through various broadcasters worldwide, as well as through online streaming platforms such as BBC Sport, iPlayer, and the Sky Go app for Sky subscribers.