National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Ademola Lookman of the Super Eagles scored the first goal against a resolute Angola in the first half to send Nigeria into the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast on Friday night.
The Atalanta winger headed in Moses Simon’s cross four minutes before halftime to give Nigeria the lead.
Angola had a great start and were set to make it to their first-ever AFCON semi-final, but Stanley Nwabali’s close-range volley from Mabululu stopped them in the fourth minute.
However, Nigeria took the lead in minute 41. Simon sidestepped Kialonda Gaspar’s sliding challenge and squared the ball so that Lookman could fire it through the roof of the net.
Angola nearly responded just before the hour mark. Substitute Zine latched onto Show’s throughball and beat Nwabali, just to see his first-time shot bounce back off the post.
Meanwhile, VAR averted Victor Osimhen, whose header from Lookman’s free-kick were it was chalked off for offside, Nigeria’s Eagles held out to keep their passage into the semi-finals, respectively.
