The Nigerian men’s national team, known as the Super Eagles, defeated Angola 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals on Friday.
Nigeria welcomed back goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and captain William Troost-Ekong from injury as they retained the same starting eleven that beat Cameroon last round. Angola missed their red-carded keeper.
Victor Osimhen had Nigeria’s best chances early on, heading over then forcing a good save. Persistent pressure paid off on the cusp of halftime as wingback Moses Simon set up Ademola Lookman for an unstoppable opening goal.
The moment Nigeria scored Angola
— OKO (@officialoluoma) February 2, 2024
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After the break, Pedro Goncalves’ Angolan squad threatened through Zini but he struck the post one-on-one. Manager Jose Peseiro stuck with his Nigeria lineup and was nearly rewarded with a second goal from Osimhen, but his powerful header was disallowed for offside after VAR review.
As Angola pushed for an equalizer late on, Peseiro finally substituted midfielder Alex Iwobi for Alhassan Yusuf to tighten Nigeria’s formation. Angola nearly leveled when Zito Luvumbo tested keeper Nwabali, who preserved the victory.
The experienced Super Eagles remained organized in closing moments to see out a gritty 1-0 victory, booking a semifinal clash with either Cape Verde or South Africa.
