At this year's Africa Cup of Nations, the Nigerian team is showing phenomenal ability against tough opposition. The footballers have already secured a place in the final with comfortable victories over the likes of South Africa, Angola, Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau. Nigeria now face C么te d'Ivoire on 11 February. Given the results of both teams' recent games, fans can expect a tense and exciting encounter. Read on for our predictions for the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Nigeria beat South Africa in 11-metre penalty shootout
Nigeria defeated South Africa to reach the final of the tournament for the first time since 2013. The news was sensational. Nigeria and South Africa traded penalties in regulation time, the scores remained level in extra time and then it was down to an 11-metre penalty shoot-out. Let's take a look at the key moments of the match.
- In the 67th minute, William Troost-Ekong converted a penalty;
- In the 85th minute, the Nigerians counter-attacked but VAR disallowed the goal;
- In the 11-metre penalty shoot-out, Nigeria converted 4 of their 5 attempts and South Africa 3 of their 5. Kelechi Iheanacho's fifth penalty put Nigeria in the final.
Ivory Coast beat DRC thanks to Haller
C么te d'Ivoire defeated Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in the semi-finals of the African Cup of Nations. The only goal came from striker Sebastien Allaire in the 65th minute. It is worth noting that the player arrived at the tournament with an ankle injury, missed all three group stage matches, recovered for the play-offs, came off the bench against Senegal and Mali, but was a key player in the semi-final victory.
African Cup of Nations final predictions
The 34th edition of the African Cup of Nations has come to an end. But there is still one match to go - the final. On Sunday 11 February, Nigeria and C么te d'Ivoire will face off for the trophy.
We expect Nigeria to beat their opponents by more than 1.5 goals, given their impressive winning streak and their success against C么te d'Ivoire. Therefore, the prediction of a forum 1 (1.5) is justified in this match. It should also be noted that Nigeria have not scored more than two goals per pair in six matches at CAN 2023. In our view, this is a good reason to bet on a total of less than 2.5.
C么te d'Ivoire, on the other hand, have been inconsistent in recent matches at the African Nations Cup. They lost twice in the group stage, went to penalties in the quarter-final and went to extra time in the semi-final. Given Nigeria's attacking prowess and C么te d'Ivoire's shaky defence, there is a chance that C么te d'Ivoire will struggle to defend and fail to score more than 4.5 goals in this match.
As a general rule, the big bookmakers often offer higher odds on the decisive matches of major tournaments. The final of the Africa Cup of Nations is such a case. For example, at 1xBet the odds for the most popular outcomes are as follows:
To view a list of the top bookmakers for betting on the African Nations Cup final, navigate to our website's homepage and select the Bookmakers section. We recommend you choose bookmakers such as 1xBet, Betwinner, 22bet, Paripesa or Helabet.
Conclusion
This edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will be remembered for a number of unexpected results, with none of last year's quarter-finalists making it through to the last eight. A total of 24 national teams took part in the tournament. Senegal currently hold the trophy, but that is about to change. Follow us on our social media channels and check out our other articles to find out about the most lucrative bonus offers and high odds at bookmakers popular in Nigeria.
