Nigeria’s Super Eagles will play hosts Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday after both teams won their semifinal matches last night.
Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho scored the winning penalty to give Nigeria a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over South Africa on Wednesday after an Africa Cup of Nations semi-final thriller in Bouake.
The match had ended 1-1 after regulation and extra time
On the other hand, Sebastien Haller fired hosts Ivory Coast into the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in Abidjan on Wednesday.
Nigeria triumphed after a 1-1 draw following extra time in Bouake in the latest of many dramatic matches at this biennial African football showpiece.
Iheanacho from English second-tier club Leicester City had been an unused substitute in the five group and knockout matches that took the Super Eagles to the semi-finals.
He was thrust into action by Portuguese Peseiro for the first time after 102 minutes against South Africa and calmly converted the decisive spot-kick.
Nwabali, who plays for South African top-flight club Chippa United, saved shootout kicks from Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa.
Peseiro, a long-time backer of under-fire incumbent shot-stopper Francis Uzoho, dropped him for the opening group match against Equatorial Guinea and Nwabali has been an ever present.
Nwabali conceded once in a draw with the Equatoguineans, then kept four clean sheets before being beaten by a Mokoena penalty in the 90th minute of regular time.
South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who saved four kicks in a quarter-final shootout win over Cape Verde, could not stop a single kick.
Before Iheanacho netted, fellow substitutes Terem Moffi and Kenneth Omeruo and Troost-Ekong converted penalties and Ola Aina blazed over.
In an absorbing match watched by a 32,000 crowd, Nigeria thought they had taken a two-goal lead on 85 minutes when star forward Victor Osimhen scored.
But play was called back to the other end and, after the Egyptian referee checked the pitchside VAR monitor, he awarded South Africa the penalty that Mokoena netted.
South Africa played the final seven minutes with 10 men after Grant Kekana was shown a straight red card for a last-defender foul on Moffi.
It will be the eighth final appearance by Nigeria, who were champions in 1980, 1994 and 2013,
