Jonathan Wilson is on the scene. Here’s his match report:
“The greatest shock of all, perhaps, is when there is no shock. In a Cup of Nations in which reputation and pre-tournament billing has meant nothing, there was at last a game that went the way that might have been expected, as Ademola Lookman’s first-half goal and a fourth clean sheet in a row carried Nigeria to the last four of the Cup of Nations for the 16th time.”
And that’s the lot from me. Congratulations to Nigeria, and goodbye.
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Osimhen was what you might call a constant threat this evening … Lookman and Iwobi also had excellent games. And collectively, Nigeria’s defence was extremely solid. They have quite some balance in that side.
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Here’s our match report of Australia’s latest bout of Asian Cup woe – they were knocked out by South Korea in the last eight, including the irrepressible Son Heung-min:
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Tell you what, you should totally check out Lee Calvert’s MBM of France v Ireland in the Six Nations opener, too:
We’ll have a match report coming up, but in the meantime, how about some premium Premier League content?
This Super Eagles post over on X does exactly what it says on the tin. Nigeria are in the semis:
FT in Abidjan. We are in the semis pic.twitter.com/gDsxOssj4T
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) February 2, 2024
Meanwhile, the remaining last-eight ties are:
DR Congo v Guinea
Mali v Ivory Coast
Cape Verde v South Africa
Here’s a piece from Osasu Obayiuwana on Ivory Coast’s madcap Afcon:
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The stats look considerably better for Angola than I thought they would. They actually had more possession in the second half. But they didn’t score a goal, and football’s about goals, isn’t it?
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Zito’s effort off the post so nearly levelled it for Angola in the second half. But no one can say Nigeria aren’t worthy winners. They were the more efficient team by far. Heartbreak for Angola. The players greet each other with smiles and hugs. That was played in a great spirit for the most part.
Full time! Nigeria 1-0 Angola
The Super Eagles soar into the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.
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90 min + 7: Corner for Angola. Last chance.
90 min + 6: Tense moments. A dangerous cross rains in from the Angola right. Nwabali gathers well. There are tears from Angola fans in the crowd! Can they save themselves?
90 min + 4: Osimhen and Lookman are both withdrawn. Onuachu and Omeruo on for Nigeria.
90 min + 2: Moses Simon embarks on an against-the-odds run down the left for Nigeria, while being outnumbered by defenders. It looks a lost cause but he does superbly to outpace and outmuscle his marker. He cuts the ball back, but his teammates can’t match his resourcefulness and the move peters out. Still, Nigeria are heading into the last four unless Angola can find a goal in the next five minutes or so.
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90 min: Seven minutes added, minimum. Now Osimhen goes down injured and is carried off on a stretcher.
88 min: Mabululu makes progress to the edge of the Nigeria area and swerves a shot which is beaten out by Nwabali! One minute plus stoppages for Nigeria to hold out …
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87 min: Angola send a dangerous ball into the Nigeria area. The Super Eagles win it and get it launched, looking for the willing runner, Osimhen, on the counter. Signori comes rushing out of goal and chests the ball to a teammate.
85 min: Milson comes on for Angola, for Dala.
84 min: Nigeria’s Onyeka, of Brentford, is down and needs some treatment.
81 min: Wow! Fresh on the field, Yusuf immediately releases Lookman into space on the counter. He plays in Osimhen, and initially it looks to be a poor pass, but Osimhen does well to muscle his way through with skill and determination. He cracks a low shot which is brilliantly blocked by the desperate boot of Gaspar, who has done exceptionally well to track back into position!
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80 min: Nigeria continue to press forward. They have been by far the more effective team in possession, and indeed out of possession. But at 1-0, Angola have a puncher’s chance. Now Iwobi, who has been impressive, is taken off. Fit-again Yusuf comes on in his place.
Perhaps VAR is having a look at the offside? Yes indeed.
It was a thumping, powerful header by Osimhen - Signori parried it but only managed to palm it into the corner of the net.
Anyway, it’s ruled out for offside against the Napoli goal machine.
Time for a cooling break.
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Disallowed goal for Nigeria!
All over?! NO! Osimhen is offside.
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71 min: Lookman bends a cross over from a set-piece for Nigeria. There’s some pushing and shoving in the box. But nothing doing penalty-wise.
68 min: Angola force themselves on to the front foot with a good ball hoisted into the right channel. Afonso then boots a cross over from the right wing. No one is there to meet it for Angola. They have a little over 20 minutes to find a goal and save themselves … or to find two goals and provide a massive shock.
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66 min: Double change: Paz and Zito come on for Angola. Gilberto and Ribeiro are off.
64 min: Zaidu bends an attractive curler over the wall from the free-kick following that foul on Lookman. It’s on target but lacks a touch of power and Signori is able to make a comfortable save.
61 min: It’s opening up now. Simon slaloms down the left for Nigeria, leaving a couple of defenders in his wake. His final attempted shot is blocked. Nigeria stay on the front foot and Lookman is clattered by Show, a very poor challenge.
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58 min: Off the post for Angola! Zini is played through one-on-one by a stunning defence-splitting pass from Show. He hits an early, first-time shot that arrows across goal and looks destined for the bottom corner - but it rebounds off the inside post and away!
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57 min: Nigeria win another corner. It’s headed back across goal … Osimhen goes for an overhead kick, while Bassey comes on to the ball looking to head it. Bassey wins, but is put off by his teammate’s attempted acrobatics. They have a laugh about it anyway.
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Australia are out of the Asian Cup! South Korea prevail 2-1 AET:
56 min: The worry for Angola is that since that golden chance for Mabululu in the first five minutes, they have not really troubled this accomplished Nigerian defence. They are not short of a counterattacking threat, but the smart money has to be on Nigeria doubling their lead if anyone’s going to score.
53 min: Our match commentators mention that Odion Ighalo scored four goals for Nigeria in the knockout stages in 2019 … Rashidi Yekini, back in 1994, also scored four in the knockouts. Lookman has three and still has most of this second half to go …
Now, Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey is booked for a foul on Gilberto. It looks a fair challenge on replay. Afterwards there is some pushing and shoving.
50 min: Osimhen went off momentarily for a spot of medical attention, but is A-OK to continue.
48 min: Angola fancy another counterattack, but some absolutely rock-solid defending by West Bromwich Albion’s Semi Ajayi extinguishes any danger for the Super Eagles. At the other end, Iwoji belts another lusty effort high and wide.
46 min: Iwobi crumples to the floor after taking a well-directed elbow from Show in midfield. Nigeria win another free-kick after that first one, and suddenly burst down the left. Osimhen soon takes the ball with his back to goal on the edge, and tees up Iwobi, whose powerful shot is deflected out for a corner. Iwobi then creates a chance for Zaidu, who blazes powerfully over from the edge of the box.
Second half kick-off!
We go again.
There is one half-time change for Angola: Estrela off, Zini on.
Half time! Nigeria 1-0 Angola
Time for one more dangerous Nigeria attack down that left flank … Gaspar does extremely well to track back and snuff it out. Lookman’s goal – his third in two matches – is the difference at the break.
Meanwhile, there is drama in the Asian Cup – join Rob Smyth for Australia v South Korea, which is in extra time after a 1-1 draw after 90 mins:
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45 min: Buatu and Osimhen have clashed and both require treatment. We’ll have three minutes of stoppage time, minimum.
It’s a stunningly-worked goal for Nigeria. Simon, who has switched from the right flank to the left, nips on to a pass that is slid for him down the left. (The move is initiated by a good lofted pass by Iwobi from right to left.) Simon steals in front of a diving challenge and sprints infield into space and to the byline, perfectly timing his cut-back for Lookman. The Atalanta forward is surrounded by defenders, but the quality of the pass (and the timing of his own run) is such that he has time to hammer a first-time shot into the roof of the net. One-nil!
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Goal! 41 min: Nigeria 1-0 Angola (Lookman)
GOAL!
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39 min: To Carneiro whips a cross over from the Angola left after a short corner. It looks a dangerous delivery, but Nigeria deal with it comfortably enough.
37 min: Angola corner. Gilberto tries to flick it on in the vicinity of the near post, but accidentally makes a far more solid contact than intended, and nods the ball straight out for a goal kick.
35 min: Nottingham Forest’s Aina launches a massive throw into the Angola area. Osimhen, who is first to basically everything in that area of the pitch, flicks a header but gets it wrong, and the ball bounces harmlessly beyond the far post. On top of which, the flag is up for offside against one of the Napoli man’s teammates.
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33 min: The cooling break has cooled off the intensity of the match somewhat. Nigeria play it around at the back for a bit … then Angola take their turn to do the same.
27 min: Thanks to Brian for pointing on email out that Lookman plays for Atalanta, not Udinese. I do have an excuse of sorts: I was in Bergamo last year to witness Atalanta 0-0 Udinese in Serie A. It was a poor game, in which Lookman did little - much like his then-teammate Rasmus Højlund.
“Not to be a pendant, but I thought Ademola Lookman is still with Atalanta,” Brian writes. “I say this as an Everton fan longing for a parallel universe where we could have kept his talent in our squad. Hoping for a Nigeria win here, but would be happy with more entertaining chaos as well.”
Anyway, it’s still 0-0 in this one. The commentators are mentioning the high humidity in Abidjan. The players take a drink, AKA a cooling break.
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25 min: Now it’s Simon causing defensive headaches for Angola. Nigeria are on top. It’s a matter of time before they score, you suspect. Or will they end up regretting their inability to convert this pressure into goals?
23 min: Simon bends an excellent cross over from the Nigeria right. Osimhen shows his quality by getting in front of his marker and steering a header on target. It’s a very decent effort, but as it happens, straight into the keeper’s grateful gloves.
20 min: Osimhen gets a stamp on the boot from Show, who is shoring up the Angola defence and attempting to give the defenders some protection. Next up, Buatu has a defensive test when a long ball is sent for Osimhen to chase. The Angola defender doesn’t panic and lays it back neatly for his goalie.
18 min: Iwobi again is the man trying to prompt his teammates from the middle of the park. Angola look dangerous when they get on the ball, but Aina pulls off an excellent challenge to snuff out their latest threat. It looks like their 4-3-3 is leaving Angola a man short in midfield, as it stands.
17 min: Iwobi is enjoying plenty of touches in advanced areas. The pace is somewhat less frantic than your average Premier League fixture, and he’s being given a decent platform to show off his skills.
14 min: Osimhen takes a pass to feet, with nothing seemingly on, but injects some excitement with a slick lay-off that releases Sanusi down the Nigeria left. Initially the delivery is blocked, but the Super Eagles keep the attack going, and Osimhen eventually sends a looping header on to the roof of the net. The crowd roared with excitement when he got on the ball.
12 min: Simon, the winger who plays for Nantes in Ligue 1, is brought down by Dala, a fairly cynical challenge from the Angolan near the edge of the box. The referee has a word. Lookman stands over the set-piece and aims for a training-ground move with a short free-kick. It’s not a great one, though, and Angola can clear.
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10 min: Angola have had by far the best chance, but Nigeria look the better side, more comfortable in possession. Angola will be happy enough to keep it at 0-0 and look to hit on the break when they can.
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6 min: Iwobi gets his foot on it again in an advanced area for Nigeria. A cross is bent over for Napoli’s Osimhen, but he can’t get on the end of it. However, a corner results, and Lookman causes a few problems on the Angola left. Eventually they clear their lines.
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4 min: A lovely step and sprint by Gilberto on the right wing for Angola. He feeds Mabululu with a low, early pass, and his teammate’s cross is cleared out for a corner. From the resulting corner, Mabululu forces a point-blank save from Nwabali after a flick-on! Very nearly the opening goal for today’s underdogs.
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1 min: Nigeria start right on the front foot. Iwobi finds himself around the penalty spot in a crowded box. The ball is half-cleared, and then a shot is blocked from the edge of the box.
Nigeria are in green, Angola in bright yellow and red.
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First half kick-off!
Here we go!
Fingers crossed, the TV coverage is going to kick in any second. What are your predictions? Email me!
Teams
Nigeria (3-4-3): Nwabali; Bassey, Ajayi, Ekong; Zaidu, Onyeka, Iwobi, Aina; Lookman, Simon, Osimhen. Substitutes: Uzoho, Alhassan, Musa, Aribo, Chukwueze, Osayi, Iheanacho, Onuachu, Awaziem, Omeruo, Moffi.
Angola (4-3-3): Signori; To Carneiro, Buatu, Gaspar, Afonso; Ribeiro, Show, Estrela; Gilberto, Mabululu, Dala. Substitutes: Keliano, Quinito, Zini, Milson, Kadu, Zito, Paz, Bela, Gelson, Ferreira.
How we line up vs #Angola #soarsupereagles #letsdoitagain #ourafcon #afcon2023 pic.twitter.com/SysJOQiEBe
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) February 2, 2024
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Preamble
We find ourselves down to the last eight at the Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria, DR Congo, Angola, South Africa, Mali, Cape Verde, Guinea and Ivory Coast all remain in the hat: an entirely new set of quarter-finalists from the previous tournament. Let’s be real, you rarely see that in the Champions League.
With Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman of Atalanta leading their attack, Nigeria are firm favourites to progress into the semi-finals, but given the unpredictable nature of cup football in general – and this year’s tournament in particular – nothing can be taken for granted.
Let’s hope for goals, excitement, and a generous helping of wholesome fun.
Kick-off: 5pm GMT
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