2023 African Cup of Nations: Final Preview
What Happened in the Semifinals.
Just as there were in the 2023 African Cup of Nations Quarterfinals, the two Semifinals were both very close and tense matches. In the first match, Nigeria took on South Africa, and for the fourth time in the tournament, penalties were needed to decide the winner. After a scoreless first half, “The Super Eagles” found a way to break the deadlock. Victor Osimhen was cut down in the box giving Nigeria a penalty in the 67th minute which captain William Troost-Ekong slotted just under the diving South African goalkeeper.
Then in the 85th-minute chaos that only the AFCON can form took place. Nigeria broke and Osimhen scored to double the lead. However, VAR checked an incident at the complete other end of the pitch and ultimately ruled out the goal and instead awarded “Bafana Bafana” a penalty in the 90th minute. With the weight of a nation on his back, Teboho Mokoena put the ball away to level the score. Then in the final seconds after Nigeria’s goalkeeper spilled a free kick, South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau had the best chance of the match but unbelievably put the ball over the bar from about seven yards out.
Nothing really happened in extra time and the match went to penalties. Ronwen Williams had been a penalty-stopping machine for “Bafana Bafana” at the 2023 AFCON but was no match for Nigeria. “The Super Eagles” scored four of their five attempts but that was more than enough as Stanley Nwabili saved two penalties to secure the win for Nigeria.
The other 2023 AFCON semifinal was much less dramatic. Ivory Coast took on DR Congo and for the first time in the knockout stage, the hosts did not need last-second saving. Both teams had good chances to get on the scoreboard in the first half with DR Congo having a goal ruled out for a foul eight minutes in and Ivory Coast hitting the post. It was not until the 65th minute when Sébastien Haller bounced a cross off the floor and it floated over the hopeless goalkeeper to give “The Elephants” the 1-0 lead. The hosts ended up holding on to that lead to continue a crazy tournament to the final.
Look Ahead to the 2023 African Cup of Nations Final
Nigeria vs Ivory Coast
These were definitely the two teams everyone expected in the final before the 2023 AFCON started, right? Yeah me neither. But here we are: two of Africa’s giants will face off for the right to call themselves the 34th champions of Africa.
This will be the second time this tournament that “The Super Eagles” and “The Elephants” will go head-to-head. The two played in the group stage and Nigeria came away as victors after a penalty from Troost-Ekong gave them a 1-0 win. A lot has changed since that matchup. Nigeria has looked like the best team having allowed just two goals since then. While Ivory Coast has found new life since sacking their manager after the group stage.
Nigeria has earned their spot in this final and outside of the semifinal against South Africa looked very comfortable. The Ivory Coast has done it the hard way. By using late dramatics against both Senegal in the Round of 16 and Mali in the Quarterfinals the host nation has seemingly lucked their way to the final.
This should be a very tense and exciting final between two teams that have never faced off in an AFCON final. Nigeria will be looking to win their first title since 2013. In that final, they beat Burkina Faso to win their third title. Ivory Coast won their second and most recent title in 2015 with a win over Ghana in penalties 0-0 (9-8).
There are numerous stars to watch out for on two of the deepest teams in the 2023 AFCON. For Nigeria, the attacking threat of Osimhen and Ademola Lookman has been extremely dangerous. Osimhen may be their best player but he has still scored just a single goal thus far while Lookman leads the team with three goals. Defensively Troost-Ekong has been a rock at centreback for the tournament’s best defense. With any strong defense, a solid goalkeeper is needed and that is exactly what Nwabili has been.
Breaking through a defense as good as Nigeria’s is a tough task for anyone. However, Ivory Coast may have the guys to do so. Haller finally scored his first goal of the 2023 African Cup of Nations in the last round and could very well keep his momentum going. The advantage for “The Elephants” is that they have not relied on a single goalscorer. Six different players have scored and none have more than one goal, so goals can come from a range of players.
The 2023 African Cup of Nations Final will take place on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 3 pm EST from Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Prediction
On paper, it appears that Nigeria is the better team and they have looked like that so far in the 2023 AFCON. However, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good and that is just what Ivory Coast has been. Having the home crowd behind them will be a massive boost and at this point, anything extra is a welcome treat after making it out of the group stage as the last third-place team to advance. With that being said this has some late dramatics and extra time written all over it. My pick is Nigeria 2-1 AET.
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