Sport
Nigeria rejoices as they beat Burkina Faso 1-0 to take the Africa Cup of Nations
A victorious Nigeria team lifts the Africa Cup of Nations Trophy. PHOTO/European Pressphoto Agency
Coach Stephen Keshi makes history as one of two men to win the cup as player and coach, and the second black African to win the Africa Cup of Nations as coach.
Nigeria erupted in celebrations Sunday after their Super Eagles won the Africa Cup of Nations, a moment that harkened back to the national teams of old and saw fans scream in delight.
Thousands gathered at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos to watch the final against Burkina Faso on a big screen, which Nigeria won 1-0. The crowd went wild over the game’s only goal by Sunday Mba in the first half, throwing anything they could in the air and shouting. The final whistle led to similar exuberance, as people tossed beer cans everywhere, screaming and running.
“We went there, we conquered,” said a man who called himself Baba Daniel. “We fly; we are an eagle.”
He paused for a moment, then added: “I don’t know how to just express myself but I’m so flabbergasted. I’m so happy.”
It is the third Africa Cup of Nations title for the Super Eagles, who hoisted the trophy in 1980 and 1994 and dominated African soccer for much of the ’90s.
However, Africa’s most populous nation has since struggled in big soccer tournaments, and has not won a World Cup match since 1998. It had two losses and a draw in 2002 and didn’t qualify for the 2006 tournament. After the 2010 World Cup, also in South Africa, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said he would pull all national teams out of competition because of the poor showing.
