Match day 7 of the 2019 WAFU Cup of Nations saw African giants Nigeria dumped out of the tournament by Cape Verde while Cote d’Ivoire just snuck past Togo in a penalty shoot-out
The first game of the day produced a shock upset as Nigeria exited the tournament after losing 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out against Cape Verde after regulation time ended 1-1.
Nigeria, though, only have themselves to blame after having the lion’s share of possession throughout but they were unable to turn that dominance into goals.
The Super Eagles played some beautiful football up until the final third where poor passing saw then squander opportunity and opportunity in front of goal as the first half end goalless.
Finally, in the second stanza Nigeria managed to take the lead courtesy of a strike from Sikiru Alimi in the 65th minute, but Hernan Cardoso restored parity for Cape Verde in the 86th minute after heading home a superb corner-kick.
The penalty shoot-out was one to forget for the Super Eagles with Reuben Bala Yakubu, John Lazarus and Oluwadamilae Olatunji all missing their spot-kicks as Cape Verde ran out 3-2 winners.
Following the outcome, the Blue Sharks will now face Gambia in the semifinals of the Plate competition on October 9 while Nigeria head home.
Game 14 of WAFU 2019 produced another penalty shoot-out, the fourth one in a row for this year’s event, as Cote d’1ivoire ran out victorious 4-2 on peanalties over Togo after regulation time ended 0-0.
It was a match dominated by the Elephants, but they really struggled in front of goal with numerous shots off target while Togo offered very little in the way of attack.
Following the outcome, Cote d’Ivoire will now face Ghana in the semifinals of the Cup competition on October 8 while Togo head home.