The Super Eagles will play in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final, after they beat South Africa 2-1 on Wednesday.
Samuel Chukwueze gave the Nigerians the lead in the first half, before Bongani Zungu levelled for South Africa following a VAR decision.
William Troost-Ekong netted the winner in the dying seconds of the game.
So, what are the five things we learnt from the match?
1. Chukwueze is a star: That is the first thing that comes to mind after watching 90minutes of that game. The Villarreal was a consistent menace for the South Africans all through, with his zippy movements and velvet dribbling skills. Glad that Gernor Rohr picked him and he also scored his first goal for Nigeria.
2. Musa still not justifying his selection: Before this game, Rohr went on and on about Musa’s experience, as the reason he is selecting the Al Nassr winger ahead of Henry Onyekuru. But once again, Musa did not come to the party. He was all pace and no end product. Musa is the reason why the Super Eagles were not out of sight by half time.
3. VAR almost takes the headlines: As soon as Zungu headed in for 1-1, practically everyone screamed offside. Infact, the linesmen waved his flag, as the midfielder wheeled away. But VAR, which comes into play from the quarter-finals, had another look and spotted that the ball came off Ighalo’s back.
4. South Africa not all that: Credit to Rohr, he set up his team to nullify Bafana Bafana and make them ineffective at their superb counter-attacking style. Although there are times they threatened to break Nigeria down, the Eagles’ defence held firm.
5. Up next, Ivory Coast or Algeria: Nigeria will not take on the winner of the quarter-final clash between Ivory Coast and Algeria. It is likely to be the North Africans, as they have been sensational all tournament. Time to take a rest and prepare for the next tough fixture.
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