- Nigeria have advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire.
- The Super Eagles booked their ticket to the last-four stage after beating Angola 2-1 at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Friday.
Ademola Lookman scored Nigeria's only goal shortly before the halftime break following good work from Moses Simon.
Interestingly, the game's first opportunity fell to Angola, but goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali kept out captain Fredy's poked finish with a fine stop.
Nigeria threatened with a couple of half chances before Lookman made the breakthrough.
Zaidu Sanusi freed Simon with a pass, and after dribbling past his marker, the Nantes winger teed up Lookman, who made no mistake with a firm finish.
Both teams had chances to score in the second half, with Angola missing their best opportunity when Zini struck the goalpost.
Victor Osimhen also had the ball in the net with an excellent header, but the referee ruled out the effort after VAR concluded it was scored from an offside position.
In the end, Nigeria held on for the win and secured passage to the semifinals of the AFCON for the first time since 2019.
Next, Nigeria will face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between South Africa and Cape Verde.
