8 February 2002
Nigeria substitute Wilson Oruma missed an extra-time penalty as Senegal overcame the first-half dismissal of Birahim Sarr to reach the African Nations Cup final for the first time thanks to Alassane Diao's 97th minute strike.
A tournament that has been short on goals and drama suddenly exploded into life 36 minutes into the first semi-final when Beninese referee Coffi Codjia dismissed Sarr for an elbow on Garba Lawal.
Reduced to ten men, many expected Senegal to crumble, but they demonstrated the strength of character that has become their hallmark under Bruno Metsu, and fully deserved their stroke of luck when Oruma hit the post from the spot after Lamine Diatta had brought down Kanu.
But it is Diao who is emerging as the real hero for the Lions of Teranga in Mali. He set Senegal on their way with the opening goal in the quarter-final victory over Congo DR, and then, seven minutes into extra-time, caught Garba Lawal in possession, exchanged passes with El Hadji Diouf, and scuffed the ball past Ike Shorunmu to put the Lions of Teranga ahead just ten minutes after they had seen Julius Aghahowa apparently dash their dreams.
Aghahowa was the man who denied Senegal a famous quarter-final victory over the Super-eagles in Lagos two years ago as a supersub, and for the Lions there must have been a terrible sense of d‚j vu as the Shakhtar Donetsk star somersaulted to the corner flag after stealing in ahead of Lamine Diatta to prod the ball past Tony Sylva with just three minutes remaining.
But the equaliser was harsh on Senegal, who had outfought Nigeria for much of the second half. The Lions, barely afflicted by their one-man disadvantage, took the lead on 58 minutes as Bouba Diop rose to head home a wickedly inswinging corner from Auxerre's dead-ball specialist Khalilou Fadiga.
Senegal had begun much the better, and they almost stunned Nigeria in the first minute, as Henri Camara's mishit cross looped over Ike Shorunmu - happily recovered from his head injury - and came back off the far post.
Fadiga fired just wide on 16 minutes after Joseph Yobo had failed to deal with a right-wing cross from Diouf, and with, Nigeria struggling to cope with the pace of Camara and the ebullience of the Lens forward, Senegal utterly dominated the opening quarter of the game.
But Nigeria gradually fought their way back, and a superb flowing move on 25 minutes that ended with Kanu hitting a low drive just wide after Aghahowa had chested down a Finidi George pass seemed to give them confidence.
Jay-Jay Okocha - so disappointing in this tournament - saw his whipped free-kick cannon back off the post five minutes later, Diouf almost embarrassed Shorunmu with a looping over-head kick, and Aghahowa nearly picked up on a weak Diatta backpass as the game suddenly caught light. It was lesson of whoich Senegal failed to take heed.
The second half began predictably brightly for Nigeria, with Aghahowa and Finidi both going close, but, as Senegal shut up shop after the goal, the Super-eagles, who have struggled for creativity throughout, found clear-cut chances hard to come by.
Indeed, but for a fine block from Shorunmu, Camara would have finished it on 75 minutes after a rapid break from Diouf, and the excellent Fadiga volleyed just wide a minute later.
With Kanu a listless presence, and Okocha withdrawn midway through the second half, Nigeria, as they have done throughout the tournament, looked short on creativity, and their frustrations were compounded four minutes from time as Ifeanyi Udeze became the third player to be dismissed in the tournament.(ACONS)
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