Nigeria Tops Ivory Coast 2-1 To Reach African Cup Semifinals; Drogba Left Without Title Again

Nigeria defeated tournament favourite Ivory Coast 2-1 to reach the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations on Sunday, keeping Didier Drogba and his teammates from lifting the trophy.

Sunday Mba scored the winning goal with a shot from outside the area in the 78th minute, helping Nigeria advance to the last four for the sixth time in eight tournaments.

Emmanuel Emenike opened the scoring for Nigeria with a long-range shot that was misplayed by Ivory Coast goalkeeper Boubacar Barry in the 43rd minute, and Cheik Tiote equalized in the 50th with a header from a free kick cross taken by Drogba.

Nigeria will now play Mali, which eliminated host South Africa on penalties on Saturday in Durban.