Ademola Lookman netted his third goal in two matches a Nigeria progressed to the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday, securing a 1-0 win over Angola in the quarterfinals.
Once again, Lookman seized the spotlight from Victor Osimhen, adding to his two-goal performance in the 2-0 victory over Cameroon in the round of 16. He opened the scoring just four minutes before halftime at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.
The Super Eagles successfully maintained their lead in front of a crowd of 18,757 in Abidjan. Osimhen managed to score, but his goal was disallowed by the VAR, which deemed him to be offside.
Despite being Africa’s current footballer of the year, he has been limited to scoring only one goal in this AFCON. Nevertheless, Nigeria’s achievements have been centered on a formidable defense, securing four consecutive clean sheets. The three-time continental champions will progress to the semi-finals, facing either Cape Verde or South Africa in Bouake next Wednesday, with the quarter-final match between those two teams scheduled for Saturday.
On the other hand, Angola is heading home, but their participation in this Cup of Nations will be marked as a triumph for the Black Antelopes. They achieved a significant milestone by winning a knockout tie in the tournament for the first time in their history. Despite their brave efforts in this match, they couldn’t replicate their success from the last round against Namibia.
Indeed, Jose Peseiro‘s Nigerian team faced difficulties in replicating their impressive performance against Cameroon six days prior. The challenging conditions of intense heat and humidity, even more draining than in earlier stages of the competition, seemed to impact their performance. Angola came close to scoring within four minutes, with a corner from their right reaching Mabululu, whose near-post attempt was thwarted by Stanley Nwabili, the Nigerian goalkeeper who had passed a fitness test to participate in the game.
Osimhen attempted two headers, but it was Lookman, the Atalanta forward and former England Under-21 international, who scored the opening goal in the 41st minute. Moses Simon received a pass on the left, outpaced Kialonda Gaspar, and entered the area before delivering a precise ball for Lookman to finish convincingly.
In the second half, Nigeria continued to create opportunities, while Angola missed a golden chance to equalize just before the hour mark. Zini, the AEK Athens striker who came on as a half-time substitute, found himself through on goal, and his shot beat Nwabili but rebounded off the far post.Nigeria narrowly escaped a significant setback, believing they had secured victory when Osimhen headed home a Lookman free-kick with fifteen minutes remaining. Despite the Angolan goalkeeper making contact with the ball, it went in. However, to Osimhen’s frustration, the goal was disallowed. Despite enduring several knocks and even being carried off on a stretcher at one point, Osimhen continued to play until the final moments.
