The Super Eagles have secured their place in the final after a 1-1 draw in regulation time at the Stade de la Paix has stretched into a tense penalty shootout.
According to Peseiro, his players deserved to be in the finals but had to achieve that the hard way.
"The players deserve to be in the final, it was a very good victory against a good team," Peseiro said after the match.
"I said earlier that South Africa have the best organization because they play together and they created more problems for us. It was very difficult to beat them," he added.
The Portuguese tactician has emphasized the strength of South Africa's cohesion and credited their head coach Hugo Broos for the team's impressive organization.
“I think it was very difficult to beat them. Congratulations to Hugo Broos, who put this team together. They played well,” Peseiro said.
Nigeria now are setting their sights on Sunday’s final against hosts Ivory Coast, aiming to claim their fourth AFCON title.
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