Samuel Chukwueze, the winger from AC Milan, advances to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals after a nail-biting penalty shootout victory against South Africa this Wednesday. Nigeria’s next challenge will be against tournament hosts Ivory Coast in the final showdown scheduled for Sunday night. The two teams have already clashed during the group stage, where Nigeria emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 win.
Chukwueze, a seasoned player in his third AFCON appearance, has found the back of the net in the previous two tournaments, making his current goal drought a focal point. Despite featuring in 4 out of 6 games for the Super Eagles, accumulating a total of 230 minutes on the field, he has recently been relegated to the bench, with manager Jose Peseiro favoring Moses Simon, the winger from Nantes, in the starting lineup.
The Serie A league boasts strong representation in the final, with players like Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta), and Chukwueze donning the Nigerian jersey, while Christian Kouame (Fiorentina) and Evan Ndicka (AS Roma) stand out for Ivory Coast.
Milan supporters find themselves torn as former midfielder Franck Kessie (Al Ahli) plays a pivotal role for Ivory Coast, delivering a stellar performance in the quarter-finals, where he earned the Man of the Match award for scoring and successfully converting his penalty in the shootout. Additionally, other familiar faces from Serie A include Wilfried Singo (Torino-Monaco) and Jeremie Boga (Sassuolo-Nice).
Nigeria has clinched the AFCON title three times, with their most recent victory in 2013, while Ivory Coast has triumphed twice, lastly in 2015. Notably, a host nation has not lifted the trophy since Egypt achieved the feat in 2006.