Nigeria won its third ever Africa Cup of Nations when it defeated Burkina Faso 1-0 on Sunday.
Nigeria got the festivities going with a glorious goal from Sunday Mbah at the 40 minute mark. He took a pass, chipped it over an oncoming defenseman and then volleyed into the far corner of the net to give Nigeria a 1-0 lead. The team outplayed Burkina Faso throughout the first 45 minutes and the script continued throughout the second with Nigeria creating early chances to extend the lead.
As the game wore on the play opened up with both sides creating fluid end to end counterattacks. Burkina Faso almost scored as the game closed in on the 70 minute mark but Nigerian keeper and Captain Vincent Enyeama made tipped the ball out of bounds. In the waning moments Nigeria had numerous opportunities to add to the goal
The victory is the third for Nigeria in the nation's history; it was the Super Eagles' first victory since 1994. Nigeria also won the Africa Cup in 1980. The win was all the more magnificent because Nigeria had failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
For Burkina Faso, their historic Cinderella story comes to an end with the nation's first ever second place finish in the tournament. Burkina Faso had made the top four in 1998 when it finished in fourth place. The team, ranked 92nd in FIFA's official rankings, is the lowest seeded team to ever play in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.
With the victory Nigeria becomes the final contender in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil. Other teams qualified for the tournament include host nation Brazil, European and World Cup champion Spain, CONCACAF Champion Mexico, Asian Champion Japan, South American champion Uruguay, and Oceania Champion Tahiti. Nigeria will compete in a group with Spain, Uruguay, and Tahiti and will play their opening match on June 17 against Tahiti. The tournament will be played from June 15, 30, 2013 in six different Brazilian cities including Rio Di Janeiro and Brazilia.
Mali ended up in third place after defeating Ghana 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. It was the second straight year that Mali earned third place in the tournament; they also defeated Ghana 2-0 in 2012 in the bronze medla match.
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