Nigeria crash out of 2015 AFCON.

African champions Nigeria crashed
out of the 2015 Africa Cup of
Nations on Wednesday after
playing a 2-2 draw with Bafana
Bafana of South Africa in Uyo.
Two goals each from Tokelo Rantie
and Sone Aluko in the 43rd, 48th,
67th and 90th minutes
respectively, ensured that Nigeria
will not be in Equatorial Guinea to
defend the title, which they won in
2013 after finishing third in Group
A with eight points.
It will be the second time a
defending champion will not
qualify for the AFCON after Egypt
failed to make the Angola 2010
event.
The Eagles could have qualified as
the best third placed team but
Congo DR’s 3-1 victory over Sierra
Leone in Group D ensured that
they made the journey to the
biennial showpiece with nine
points against the Eagles’ eight.
The South Africans, who have yet
to beat Nigeria in a competitive
match, started the match with
intent to break the record in the
4th minute when a defensive
blunder from Kenneth Omeruo, who
just returned from injury, left
Rantie alone with goalkeeper
Vincent Enyeama but the forward
could only blaze his effort over the
bar.
Nigeria then picked up pace and
were rewarded with three
consecutive chances, the first of
which came in the 9th minute but
Ahmed Musa’s effort hit the bar
with the South African goalkeeper
to beat.
Musa again fritted away chances
in the 17th and 18th minute when
the keeper blocked his efforts with
his legs.
The African champions made wave
after wave of attack but could not
break the resolute Bafana defence.
Rantie broke the deadlock in the
43rd minute after a Nigerian
defensive error. Rantie’s brace was
completed in the 48th minute when
another defensive blunder left him
alone with Enyeama and the
forward made no mistake to score
his seventh goal in 26
appearances for the country.
Coach Stephen Keshi threw in Sone
Aluko for Raheem Lawal as the
Eagles searched for goals and his
change paid off in the 67th minute
when the substitute scored his first
international goal for Nigeria after
an Ikechukwu Uche effort had
bounced off the upright.
South Africa were reduced to 10
men in the 69th minute after
Reneilwe Letsholonyane was sent
off for a second bookable offence
but the Eagles failed to capitalise
on the deficit.
Aluko completed his brace in the
93rd minute of added time when
his left-footed shot beat Darren in
the South African goal to ensure
that Nigeria maintained its
unbeaten record against South
Africa in a competitive match.
South African coach, Ephraim
Mashaba, praised the effort of his
lads.
Mashaba told Supersport , “We
tried. The boys did everything that
needed to be done till the referee’s
optional time. Nigeria were just
lucky to still be able to hold the
unbeaten record against us
because they equalised in the
dying minutes of the game. They
are a good side and such was
expected from them because most
of their players play outside the
country.”