Special to USAfrica multimedia networks, Houston. @Twitter.com/Chido247, Facebook.com/USAfricaChido n Facebook.com/USAfrica247
Nigeria qualified for the final of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after trouncing Mali 4-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday.
The Super Eagles will face Burkina Faso (who beat Ghana) this Sunday at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.
Nigeria took the lead on 25 minutes through a diving header inside the box by defender Elderson Echiejile off a low cross by Victor Moses from the right.
They doubled their advantage on the half hour when Brown Ideye finished off another low cross from the right, this time by Emmanuel Emenike.
Emenike netted his fourth goal of the tournament a minute before the break when his shot off an edge-of-box free kick took a deflection beyond goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa.
Substitute Ahmed Musa slotted home the fourth goal for Nigeria on 60 minutes when he burst clear.
Mali pulled a goal back in the 75th minute through substitute Fantamady Diarra, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama as the Nigerian defence suffered a lapse in concentration.
“Mali are a good team with a top player like Seydou Keita, but they are not very fast at the back and we took advantage of this to score our first two goals,” said Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi.
Patrice Carteron, the coach of Mali, said: “I’m still proud of this team — we worked hard even though we did not reach the final.”
Nigeria took the game to Mali from the first whistle with Chelsea winger Moses shooting wide after just two minutes.
However, Mali settled and came close to going in front after 12 minutes when Kalilou Traore’s header off a corner narrowly missed the target.
And moments later, Momo Sissoko’s shot flew just above Vincent Enyeama’s goal.
Nigeria carved a good chance on 15 minutes when Emenike fired at goal, but Samassa did well to keep it out before the ball was cleared for a corner.
Soon after Nigeria’s second goal by Ideye, the Dynamo Kyiv striker was denied by the young Mali goalkeeper, before Ogenyi Onazi’s chipped shot after a swift counter attack was held by back-tracking Samassa.
In the 47th minute, Seydou Keita’s shot from inside the Nigeria goal area missed as Mali searched for a goal.
Molla Wague’s header in the 55th minute came close as Mali continued to pile pressure on the Super Eagles.
But Nigeria then created two good chances. First, Ideye hesitated when clear on goal in the 56th minute and a Musa effort that found the net seven minutes later was disallowed for offside.
Enyeama saved a low shot by Cheick Tidiane Diabate before Mahamadou Samassa had the easiest of chances to reduce the tally, but Enyeama kept him out.
Emenike let fly a powerful shot in the 87th minute, but his effort was wide of the target.
In stoppage time, Diarra could have pulled another goal back twice but his efforts missed their mark.
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WHY I CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND WORKS OF NELSON MANDELA. By Chido Nwangwu https://usafricaonline.com/2010/07/15/mandela-why-i-celebrate-his-life-works-by-chido-nwangwu/
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Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com and the Nigeria360 e-group. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/ : IF any of the Nigerian President’s 100 advisers has the polite courage for the extraordinary task of reminding His Excellency of his foremost, sworn, constitutional obligation to the national interest about security and safety of Nigerians and all who sojourn in Nigeria, please whisper clearly to Mr. President that I said, respectfully: Nigerians, at home and abroad, are still concerned and afraid for living in what I call Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. FULL text of commentary at USAfricaonline.com https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/
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• Nigeria’s bin-Laden cheerleaders could ignite religious war, destabilize Africa. By USAfrica’s Publisher Chido Nwangwu. https://usafricaonline.com/chido.binladennigeria.html http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=USAfrica+Chido+Nwangwu+al-qaeda+terrrorism+nigeria&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 https://usafricaonline.com/tag/al-qaeda/ 310 killed by Nigeria’s ‘talibans’ in Bauchi, Yobe n Maiduguri; crises escalate. USAfricaonline.com on July 28, 2009. www.usafricaonline.com/chido.ngrtalibans09.html http://www.groundreport.com/World/310-killed-by-Nigerias-talibans-in-Bauchi-Yobe-n-M/2904584
Obama’s Africa agenda, our business and democracy. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfricaonline.com and CLASS magazine and The Black Business Journal
USAfrica: As Egypt’s corrupter-in-chief Mubarak slides into history’s dustbin. By Chido Nwangwu. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/01/30/chido-nwangwu-as-egypt-corrupter-in-chief-mubarak-slides-into-historys-dustbin-egyptians-not-waiting-for-obama-and-united-nations/
Tunisia, Egypt . . . Is Nigeria next? By Prof. Rosaire Ifedi https://usafricaonline.com/2011/02/13/tunisia-egypt-is-nigeria-next-by-prof-rosaire-ifedi/
Related insight: USAfrica’s October 17, 2001 special report/alert: Nigeria’s bin-Laden cheerleaders could ignite religious war, destabilize Africa. By USAfrica’s Publisher Chido Nwangwu. https://usafricaonline.com/chido.binladennigeria.html
https://usafricaonline.com/tag/al-qaeda/
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Related and prior reporting on the Jos crises on USAfrica, click here: https://usafricaonline.com/2011/08/16/10-killed-in-renewed-violence-near-jos/
News archives related to Jos, here https://usafricaonline.com/?s=jos
Trump looks foolish and crazy screaming about Obama’s birth certificates, college records and Muslim connection. By Raynard Jackson
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