Nigeria marched into their first African Cup of Nations final since 2000 after a convincing 4-1 win over Mali in the first semi-final.
Goals from Elderson Echiejile, Brown Ideye, Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa gave the Super Eagles an unassailable lead before the hour mark, with Cheick Diarra netting a consolation for Mali.
It was not all good news for Nigeria through as livewire strikers Victor Moses and Emenike – who has scored four goals at these finals – both went off injured, although their substitutions were likely to have been precautionary.
Nigeria boss Stephen Keshi now faces the challenge of becoming the second man to win the African Cup of Nations both as a player and a coach, after Egypt’s late icon Mahmoud El-Gohary.
For a country with one of the highest numbers of professional players, Nigeria have underachieved in recent years.
But, after a slow start to these finals, Keshi has got them playing direct, organised football and – hugely importantly, as Ivory Coast found out – as a team.
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