Nigeria's head coach Stephen Keshi shouts instructions to his players during their African Cup of Nations semi-final soccer match against Mali at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban February 6, 2013 (Photo: Reuters)
Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has expressed his pleasure at his team’s win against Mali 4-1 in the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations, taking them to the final game of the tournament.
"I dedicate this victory to God and also Nigerians because they missed this sort of thing for a very long time," Keshi told the post-game press conference.
The 51-year-old claimed that he knew from the first day of the championship that the Super Eagles would reach this post, whoever their opponents were throughout the tournament.
"I knew the first three matches would be difficult but the moment we got it right, that was it," he added.
"The atmosphere was wonderful; everything just fell into place."
Nigeria are set to face Burkina Faso, who defeated Ghana 3-2 on penalties, in the CAN 2013 final game on Sunday.
"On the final, we will prepare ourselves and whatever comes our way, we will take it."
"But the important thing is that we thank God we are in the final."
The Super Eagles tactician also praised the performance of his players, saying that they were young and deserve the triumph.
"The 1994 squad which I captained took us five years to build. This team is just five weeks old," Keshi said.
At the end of the press conference, Keshi opened the door to a possible move after the CAN 2013 final.
"But I do not know if after the final on Sunday, I would still be in charge of the building process. But the point is that there is talent, the mentality is strong and things are coming up gradually." The Nigeria coach concluded.
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