The senior national team of Nigeria will take on their counterpart from South Africa in the semi final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Bafana Bafana as the male team of South Africa are called defeated Cape Verde 2-1 in the final quarter final game of the tournament. Their reward will be a game against the Super Eagles of Nigeria who were 1-0 winners over Algeria yesterday.

Goalkeeper of South Africa Ronwen Williams was the hero for the coach Hugo Broos side who failed to break down a resilient Cape Verde side forcing the game into extra time with scores tied at 0-0.

A spot in the final of the tournament awaits both teams but Nigeria will go into the game feeling confident over the fact that in 2019 when both teams clashed in the quarter final they won 2-0.

They are also in the same group in the race to be at the 2026 world cup. They will lock horns in back to back games when the series resumes later in the year.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that head coach of the team Jose Peseiro now has the final say on his future after reaching the AFCON target of semi final set by him by the football body, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Peseiro signed a new deal that will cover the period of the tournament, but with an option of a two year deal if he reaches the semi final of the AFCON replacing the previous clause of winning the tournament for him to get a new two year deal.

The compromise to reduce the target was reached after he agreed to take a pay cut from his $70,000 a month pay to $60,000 a month. Yesterday he reached the semi final of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Angola.

Our source said it is not in the powers of the NFF anymore but the coach , who now has the option of either accepting the option of a new two year deal or go elsewhere. He said they except him to make a decision at the end of the tournament.

Despite the semi final target set by the NFF, the Portuguese coach has consistently insisted that his team has only one ambition which is to win the tournament.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has revealed how his team got a 1-0 win over Angola in the quarter final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, OwnGoalNigeria.comreports.

Ademola Lookman got the only goal of the game after tremendous work from man of the match Moses Simon who glide past his marker effortlessly to set up Lookman.

Peseiro who was given a target of getting at least to the semi final to trigger a two year contract extension has met the target, and after the game he revealed how his team got the win that has now taken them to within one game of making it to the final.

He praised his team’s approach of defending and attacking in numbers with special mention to goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali for two big saves, which played a huge role in the win.

“We did well in the first half, counter-attacking a lot, and putting Angola under pressure. In the second half, they came to attack us and we had some difficult moment. Nwabali made two saves. I want my teams to attack and defend together. Mistakes from the middle caused the clear chance that Angola had”, he said at the post match conference.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has leaped to the defence of underfire Super Eagles defender Zaidu Sanusi, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Zaidu who has been ever present for Nigeria at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations has been pointed out as the weak spot of the Nigerian team, who are through to the semi final after a 1-0 win over Angola in the quarter final.

In the game, the FC Porto defender was guilty of wasting so many promising situations that would have created an opening for the team to score but his final balls like it had been in previous games was a huge let down.

Defending while he keeps picking the 27 year old, Peseiro said it’s not easy for Zaidu who is a left back to adapt to the style of the team, where he plays mainly as a wingback as opposed to his traditional role as a left back. He said it’s probably why he made one or two mistakes but concluded by saying he had a better game than the last game against Cameroon.

“It’s not easy playing fullback in this system, they must go & come in speed. Zaidu I think played better in this match than the last match, but I know he made one or two mistakes” he said at the post match conference.

“All my players played well. I’m very happy with them and they deserve praises.”

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

One is the stand out performer for the senior national team of Nigeria at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations has been William Troost-Ekong, who has stayed rock solid in all the games the team has played leading to today’s quarter final game against Angola, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Ekong has marshalled the defence brilliantly helping them to three consecutive clean sheets with the only goal they have conceded coming in the 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their first game of the tournament.

However few months to the tournament, the 30 year old said he was considering quitting the national team after series of snub by head coach Jose Peseiro following a disagreement, which as we exclusively reported happened after he was benched without being told prior to it.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to play this AFCON or not and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue with the national team either because I was weighing all my options”, he told veteran Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh of ESPN.

“I felt that maybe the only thing that was going to stop me this time is that there was some disagreement with the coach before the tournament so I wasn’t sure if I was going to be part of the squad or not.

“I had to think about it. It was more of a decision for myself. Do I want to continue to play with Nigeria, which I have done for a long time and I have enjoyed several amazing experiences?

“Or do I want to focus more on my club football which I have been able to do and play well in the last few months because I was solely focused on PAOK and spending time with my family”.

“I stayed in communication with the team, I was wishing them well. I also reminded the coach that I am available and I think everyone was impressed with how I was playing in the league and also the European Conference League.”

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has made his starting lineup for the quarter final game against Angola at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Peseiro is a win away from triggering an extension in his deal which gave him an option of a further two years as the coach of the team if he gets to the semi final of the tournament. The clause was agreed when he signed his new deal which covers the period of the tournament.

He is therefore not leaving any stone unturned in his bid to reach the target set by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and he has put out what has been his best lineup since the start of the tournament.

In goal he picked the returning Stanley Nwabali ahead of Francis Uzoho, but it is still subject to a test before kickoff. The defence remains the same as in the 2-0 win against Cameroon in the round of 16.

Calvin Bassey, William Troost-Ekong and Semi Ajayi will play as a back three with the duo of Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi playing wide as wingbacks but with instruction to drop into the middle and help the middle duo of Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka.

In attack, the coach stuck with the trio of Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman who scored both goals in the win over Cameroon with Victor Osimhen completing the set up in attack. There is still no spot for Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who is yet to get a minute of action at the tournament.

Starting XI:
Stanley Nwabali
Ola Aina
Zaidu Sanusi
Calvin Bassey
Semi Ajayi
William Troost-Ekong
Alex Iwobi
Frank Onyeka
Moses Simon
Ademola Lookman
Victor Osimhen

Ade Emmanuel

The top striker of the senior national team of Nigeria Victor Osimhen could yet undergo another dope test after the quarter final game against Angola at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Osimhen was subjected to a random drug test by CAF after the 2-0 win over Cameroon in the round of 16, where he put up an energetic display for the duration he was on, which was around 85 minutes of normal time.

Reactions trailed the decision to have him undergo a dope test but according to a sport doctor, who has worked in a laboratory that carries out dope test on professional athletes, the Napoli forward could yet undergo another test after today’s game and more if Nigeria scales through.

” It’s a normal thing for players/athletes to be tested randomly during a tournament. So I don’t get the news about it. He could be tested again after today’s game or future games if they progress. It is the norm”, Seyi Ige an anti doping expert told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Players are selected randomly by drawing of ballots for all players in the matchday squad or if you notice any player who is behaving beyond normal or like being hyper and confrontational you can recommend for a dope test. No big deal in it because that is the standard practice”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman