Sink or swim! After eliminating Angola (1-0) in the quarter-finals, Nigeria, led by coach Jose Peseiro, can today reach the final of the African Cup of Nations for the eighth time in history. To do that, they will have to beat South Africa, who beat Cape Verde in the previous round.

Jose Peseiro stated that the Super Eagles must be at the highest level to be able to fight for their goal, which is to win the title. “Everyone knows that when I signed the contract I came to win, but we haven't won anything yet. We are doing well. I see the organisation, the commitment, we are playing together as a team. We need this match to reach the final.” “So we have to play a high-level match against the South African team that knocked out Morocco, which had a fantastic World Cup. We have to play 100 percent or more in order to win,” the 63-year-old said. Portuguese.

Nigeria have made a very positive impression, mainly due to their defensive style of play. In five games, they have conceded just one goal, the team that leaks the least. Offensively, he scored five goals, an average of one goal per match. And you can now breathe a sigh of relief, as your biggest star, Victor Osimhen, could be an option. The 25-year-old striker raised fears that he might miss the decisive match after suffering from abdominal muscle pain. However, it was nothing more than panic.

If he wins, José Peseiro will become the second Portuguese coach to reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations. The only one who achieved this achievement is Carlos Queiroz, who plays for the Egyptian national team, as the Pharaohs lost 0-1 in the final match against Senegal in the last edition of the African competition.

In the other semi-final, the host team will face Ivory Coast led by Ousmane Diomande (Sporting) of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

author: Pedro Silva