Nigeria 1-0 Burkina Faso: Sunday service gives Super Eagles third AFCON title

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 10: Nigeria celebrate during the 2013 Orange African Cup of Nations Final match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso from the National Stadium on Februray 10, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sunday Mbah’s goal five minutes before half time gave Nigeria their third African Cup of Nations title and, more importantly, their first continental triumph in 19 years.

With his side’s victory, Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi became only the second man to stand on the winners’ podium as both player and coach, with the former centre-back lifting the trophy way back in 1994.

For last night’s game, Keshi was forced to drop star striker Emmanuel Emenike of Spartak Moscow, who had a hamstring complaint, instead opting to start Chelsea striker Victor Moses alongside goalscorer Mbah and Villarreal striker, Ikechukwu Uche. Nigeria’s quality was evident in the form of Chelsea holding midfielder John Obi Mikel, Braga‘s Elderson Echiejile, Kenneth Omeruo of ADO Den Haag and Celtic defender Efe Ambrose. On the bench were CSKA Moscow livewire Ahmed Musa, Valeranga midfielder Fegor Ogude and Betis anchorman Nosa Igiebor.

But the Super Eagles were matched man for man when it came to quality. Present for Paul Put’s Burkinabe were the Ligue 1 quintet of Charles Kabore (Marseilles), Bakary Kone (Lyon), Djakaridja Kone (Evian) and Jonathan Pitroipa (Rennes) in the starting eleven with Alain Traore (Lorient) on the bench. Augsburg striker Aristide Bance led the line for the Stallions.

With both teams walking out to the din of nearly 85,000 vuvuzelas at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the grandeur of the occasion was surely lost on no one present inside the arena.

“We’re not there yet. My plan was to build a good team for Nigeria when I came on board almost a year-and-a-half ago. Now we are on the path to building a great side.”

- Stephen Keshi, Coach, Nigeria National Football Team

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 10: A general view during the closing ceremony prior to the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Final between Nigeria and Burkina Faso at the National Stadium in Soweto, on Februay 10, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

It was the Nigerians who began the game strongly. Efe Ambrose headed over from Victor Moses’ free-kick in the seventh minute and the men in green failed to take advantage of a goalkeeping howler from Burkina Faso goalkeeper Daouda Diakite. The Lierse goalkeeper came out of his area to collect a header from one of his defenders, only to miss his take. Brown Ideye was on hand to profit from that gaffe but his weak effort went over the crossbar.

Nerves were seemingly evident for the Burkinabe, who had never made it past the first round before.

Jonathan Pitroipa tried to create an opportunity for the home side, and did well to draw four Nigerians onto him, but the resulting corner was wasted. Bance’s free kick was flashed wide of Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama’s goal before Uche did well to set up Ideye, who miscued his shot while sprinting full tilt towards Diakite’s goal.

With the Stallions struggling to get out of their own half and looking well overawed by the occasion, they were able to defend manfully against wave after wave of Nigerian attacks.

But the Eagles’ dominance would ultimately show.

In the 40th minute, Moses drove forward into space and fired goalwards only to see his shot blocked. The ball looped towards Sunday Mbah, who took one touch to control it and a few more to guide it past the Burkinabe defence before jabbing it past Diakite to give Nigeria a well-deserved lead. The importance of the goal was lost on no-one inside the stadium, the audience growing even more raucous if it was possible to do so.

Burkina Faso responded with a couple of darting runs from Bance but they amounted to nothing as Algerian referee Djamel Haimoudi blew for half time shortly.

“I’m so happy it is a dream come true. I don’t know what to say. We really worked hard and we were looking forward to this day and I’m so happy for this. It will go a long way towards my career. This is my first time and I’m very happy. We gave all that we had.”

- Sunday Mbah, Enugu Rangers and Nigeria

Ideye could have put Nigeria 2-0 up inside the first five minutes of the second half, shooting narrowly wide from a tight angle on the byline when any sort of touch from keeper Diakite would have taken the ball into his own net.

Coach Keshi then made his first change of the game in the 53rd minute, bringing on Ahmed Musa for the quiet Uche.

Nigeria kept coming, but were wasteful when presented with scoring opportunities. Victor Moses led a counter-attack after a Burkinabe corner, but elected to shoot when he was one on one with defender Saidou Panandetiguiri. Musa then had a pop on the volley from just outside the box, but he was off balance and his effort went well wide.

But with the Stallions keen on absorbing pressure and attacking on the counter, the profligacy in front of goal was beginning to show on the Nigerians. Kenneth Omeruo was booked for scything down Pitroipa after getting into a shoving contest with Prejuce Nakulma and John Obi Mikel went into the book a minute later for arguing with the referee.

With the Burkinabe sensing a way back into the game, Pitroipa tried to turn things his side’s way. Good work from him down the left flank won his side a free kick, which was headed away by Ambrose at the near post. Aristide Bance’s glancing header was directed straight at Enyeama and Kone’s effort at goal was powerful but wayward.

Burkina Faso coach Paul Put decided to inject some more momentum into his team by making his first change of the game in the 65th minute. Striker Wilfried Sanou replaced defender Florent Rouamba as the first-time finalists tried to restore the status quo.

Soon afterwards, Nigeria were forced to make their second substitution of the game. Right-back Elderson Echiejile had looked worse for wear ever since he had picked up an injury after he’d stopped a Nakoulma run in the 49th minute and was stretchered off to be replaced by Juwon Oshaniwa.

As the match wore on, Nigeria began to retreat towards their own half, allowing Burkina Faso to attack further. Oshaniwa’s first contribution to the game was to give the Burkinabe a free kick for bringing Charles Kabore to ground.

The Marseilles man was growing in influence. His corners were a constant threat for the Nigerian defenders and his dangerous header across goal from the free-kick he earned his side was cleared before it could amount to anything.

Nigeria zoomed forward in response. Musa slipped just as he was about to bury his shot past Diakite. In response, Burkina Faso broke on the counter, and Vincent Enyeama made a world-class save to stop a ferocious long-range effort from Sanou.

Nigeria were coming into the ascendancy again. Brown and Moses raided forward. The former was brought down just outside the Burkinabe box before he was about to feed the latter. He wasted the resulting free kick, though, firing woefully over and into the stands.

Burkina Faso seemed to run out of ideas with less than ten minutes on the clock. Bance had been running hither and thither all game, but the end product was lacking from the underdogs. Both Moses and Brown saw changes go begging as the game petered towards the end of regulation time.

Both sides made changes as the game entered stoppage time. Winger Abdou Razack Traore came on for Burkina Faso, defender Joseph Yobo was brought on in an effort to counter the Burkinabe long balls. The underdogs were gifted one final opportunity when they were awarded a free kick for a handball by Brown.

But substitute Beli Dagano could only blaze over the crossbar.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 10: Nigeria players celebrate at the final whistle after defeating Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final of the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

Seconds later, as referee Haimoudi blew for full time, the Nigerian players sunk to their knees, looking to the heavens as they ended nineteen years in the international wilderness. So close had they come in the past, only to fall just short of glory. That agonizing penalty shoot-out defeat at home in 2000 and the five semi-final defeats since were all vindicated as the vuvuzelas blew in Johannesberg, the Eagles, heroes in their nations eyes, cheered on by the green and white clad supporters of their nation for whom last night will now be entered into the history books.

“[It's] one of [the] best days of my life this is a dream come true I’m so proud to be Nigerian. The win is for each and every one of [you] back home.”

- Victor Moses, Chelsea and Nigeria

But as the Eagles sore, one will not forget the charge of the Stallions of Burkina Faso. They will receive ovation and adulation as they make their way back to Ougadougou, having more than fulfilled their goal of winning just one game this time.

Come 2015, they will no longer be considered underdogs in Morocco.

Lineups:

Nigeria 1-0 Burkina Faso (Mba 40′)

Referee: Djamel Haimdaoui

Nigeria: Enyeama; Echiejile (Oshaniwa 67′), Ambrose, Obobona, Omeruo; Ideye, Obi Mikel, Onazi; Moses, Uche (Musa 53′), Mbah (Yobo 89′)

Subs not used: Ejide, Agbim, Egwueke, Obiorah, Reuben, Ogude, Igiebor, Uzoeyni

Coach: Stephen Keshi

Burkina Faso: Diakite; Bakary Kone, Paul Koulibaly (Dagano 84′), Panandetiguiri, Koffi; Djakaridja Kone (Traore 90′+1), Rouamba (Sanou 65′), Pitroipa, Kabore, Nakoulma, Bance

Subs not used: Soulama, Henri Traore, Alain Traore, Ouattara, Balima, Rabo, Dah, Pan-Pierre Coulibaly

Coach: Paul Put