Nigeria and host nation Ivory Coast will contest the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday and we could be set for a tense and tight conclusion to the tournament.
Nigeria
The Super Eagles ended Bafana Bafana's dream of reaching the final with a penalty shoot out win on Wednesday. Troost-Ekong gave Nigeria the lead from the penalty spot in the second half of the semi final, they thought they had made it 2-0 through Victor Osimhen late on but VAR intervened and play was brought all the way back for a South Africa penalty, duly dispatched. Extra time failed to produce a goal but Nigeria held their nerve to go through 4-2 in the shoot out.
Nigeria disposed of Cameroon in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 win when Lookman scored in each half and another goal from Lookman just before half time was enough for the Super Eagles to see off Angola 1-0 in the quarter finals.
Nigeria were unbeaten in Group A although an inferior goal difference saw them finish as runners up to Equatorial Guinea with hosts Ivory Coast somehow surviving in third spot and Guinea Bissau never got in a blow. After a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their opening group match Nigeria were 1-0 winners against hosts Ivory Coast (Troost-Ekong penalty) and also beat Guinea-Bissau 1-0.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast booked their ticket to the final thanks to a second half goal Sebastien Haller for a 1-0 win. In the Round of 16 Ivory Coast knocked out defending champions Senegal. They were behind as early as the 4th minute but Kessie equalized from the penalty spot on 86 minutes to make it 1-1. Extra time failed to produce a goal and Ivory Coast came through the penalty shoot out.
The hosts also edged out Mali 2-1 in a dramatic quarter final. Despite having Odilon Kossounou red carded in the first half and then falling behind on 70 minutes Simon Adingra forced extra time with a very late goal. Diakite scored the winner with the last kick of extra time and he was then sent off along with a Mali player as the game ended in a degree of chaos.
Ivory Coast only scraped into the last 16 as the final best third placed finisher after finishing well behind Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria (Guinea Bissau were eliminated). They won 1 and lost 2 group matches and even though their goal difference was -3 they survived. Things started well enough with a 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau but next time out they lost 1-0 to their opponents here and they finished a 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea in a real mess. That record loss on home soil saw Emerse Fae take over as coach and they haven't looked back since.
The Betting
Nigeria are currently trading at around 1.66/1 to win the game with the draw at 1.95/1 and Ivory Coast are priced at around 1.95/1
A game of 3 goals or more in total is priced at 18/10 and it's around 5/4 for both teams to score.
Note, odds quoted are for regulation time and are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
To lift the trophy via any method (extra time, pens etc..) Nigeria are 17/20 and Ivory Coast are even money.
Verdict:
Nigeria have been ultra tight defensively and Ivory Coast have turned things around in dramatic fashion since the change in coach.
Discipline will be important and if everyone keeps their heads I see little between the teams but the vote goes to the Super Eagles to edge it 1-0.
Bets:Correct Score Nigeria win 1-0 at 58/10 with BoyleSports
Note, odds quoted are for regulation time and are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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