Nigeria’s Winning Streak Suffers Against South Africa – Peseiro’s Tactics Unravel in AFCON Semi-Final

In a thrilling semi-final match at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Bouake, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s Super Eagles narrowly defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

The match, which saw Nigeria’s winning formation suffer in the last 20 minutes, was described by Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro as his toughest game so far in the tournament.

Nigeria took the lead in the 67th minute when captain William Ekong scored from the spot.

However, a dramatic twist occurred in the 86th minute when Victor Osimhen’s goal celebration was cut short by a VAR review, resulting in a penalty against Nigeria for a foul by Alhassan Yusuf in his goal area.

South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena converted the penalty to even the score in the 88th minute.

Both teams had their chances in extra time, but it was Nigeria’s goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali who stole the show, stopping two of South Africa’s penalties to secure a 4-2 win for Nigeria.

Peseiro acknowledged that his team suffered in the last 20 minutes of the match and lost their balance, but he praised their resilience during the break before extra time.

South African coach Hugo Broos, on the other hand, expressed disappointment in the result but praised his players for a good job.

As Nigeria advances to the final, the Super Eagles will need to regroup and address the issues that caused their winning formation to suffer against South Africa. The final promises to be an exciting match as Nigeria looks to claim the AFCON title.