Nigeria hold their nerve to edge past South Africa to reach AFCON final

Nigeria has secured their spot in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time since their victorious campaign in 2013. They achieved this by triumphing over South Africa in a captivating semi-final encounter, prevailing with a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout.

Nigeria arrived in Bouaké brimming with confidence after securing four consecutive victories without conceding a goal in the tournament. Their aim was to reach the final for the eighth time. However, their semi-final clash against South Africa, who were making their first appearance in the AFCON semi-finals in 24 years, proved to be a challenging test. As a result, the match started cautiously, with neither team able to take control.

As the game progressed, South Africa began to pose a greater threat and came close to taking the lead just before the half-hour mark. Unfortunately for them, Percy Tau's attempt was easily saved by Stanley Nwabili.

South Africa continued to dominate proceedings as halftime approached, and Nwabili had to make a brilliant save to deny Evidence Makgopa's curling strike.

Having survived these scares, José Peseiro's team regrouped during the break and came out with renewed determination in the second half. Victor Osimhen, who had missed a golden opportunity earlier, made amends by winning a penalty after being fouled by Mothobi Mvala. William Troost-Ekong stepped up and confidently converted the spot-kick, sliding the ball under Ronwen Williams' body to give Nigeria a crucial lead.

South Africa recognized the urgency of the situation as the clock ticked down to the final 20 minutes. Makgopa came agonizingly close to equalizing with a powerful strike from outside the box, narrowly missing the far post.

However, there was still a twist in the tale. Osimhen believed he had scored a second goal for Nigeria, only for VAR to intervene and disallow it due to a late tackle on Tau by Alhassan Yusuf in the opposite penalty area.

This turn of events gave Bafana Bafana a lifeline, and Mokoena kept his composure to convert a penalty and level the scores in the last minute of regular time.

With the momentum on their side, Hugo Broos' team had a golden opportunity to snatch victory in stoppage time. However, Mudau squandered the chance by firing over the goal when it seemed easier to score.

After a heart-stopping finale, the Super Eagles aimed to regain their composure in extra time. Peseiro's men had a clear chance denied when substitute Terem Moffi was brought down by Grant Kekana, resulting in a red card for the South African defender. However, Nigeria failed to capitalize on their numerical advantage, and the match headed to a penalty shootout.

Bafana Bafana faltered in the shootout, missing two of their first three spot-kicks. Nwabili saved Mokoena and Makgopa's penalties, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to calmly convert the decisive spot-kick and send Nigeria into the Sunday's final against either hosts Ivory Coast or the Democratic Republic of Congo.