Defender Elderson Echiejile opened
the scoring, heading home Victor Moses' cross, before Brown Ideye bundled past
Mali keeper Mamadou Samassa.
The Super Eagles made it three with
Emmanuel Emenike's shot deflecting in off Mali midfielder Momo Sissoko.
Substitute Ahmed Musa stroked home Nigeria's
fourth, before Cheick Diarra grabbed a consolation for the Eagles.
Three of Nigeria's goals came in the
first half, overwhelming a Malian side, who would be forced to settle for a
place in the third-place play-off for the second year in a row.
Stephen
Keshi's side, meanwhile, progress to their first final appearance since 2000,
seeking to end their 19-year wait for a third Nations Cup title.
The confident-looking Super Eagles
moved the ball around well from start, with Moses unleashing the first shot
from 25 yards, which flew well wide.
Mali's first attacking threat came
through Adama Tamboura, who burst forward well into the box, before his
pull-back was cut out by Godfrey Oboabona. Defender Molla Wague then headed
well over from the resulting corner from 10 yards, when he should have done
better.
Mali enjoyed some good pressure, with
Kalilou Traore heading wide from Mahamane Traore's in-swinging corner. Former
Liverpool midfielder Sissoko followed that miss with a long-range effort which
flew over Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama's bar.
Nigeria's first real chance of the
game came from a John Obi Mikel ball over the top, which striker Brown Ideye
attempted to slip past keeper Samassa, only for the reinstated Malian keeper to
deny him with an outstretched boot.
Mikel then lashed in a dangerous shot
from 25 yards, which flew just past Samassa's post.
It served as a warning sign for what
was to come, as Nigeria broke the deadlock with a goal created by the
influential Moses.
The
Chelsea midfielder turned the Malian defence inside out with some good skill to
cross brilliantly for Echiejile, who stooped to head home unmarked at the far
post.
The Super Eagles made it two just
minutes later, with Emenike breaking forward down the right again and laying
the ball into the path of Ideye, who bundled in past Samassa at close range.
Mali, rattled by Nigeria's two
quick-fire goals, tried to play themselves back into the game but to no avail,
as Emenike made it three just before the break.
A free-kick laid off to the striker
took a massive deflection off Sissoko in the wall, wrong-footing Samassa and
creeping in just inside the keeper's left-hand post.
The stunned Malians emerged in the
second period with a mountain to climb and captain Seydou Keita could have got
one back right at the start of the half, finding space in the box but firing
wide from eight yards.
The Nigerians continued to press and
substitute Ahmed Musa, who had replaced Moses minutes earlier, beat the offside
trap and fired home under Samassa's body to put them out of sight.
Musa thought he had made it five,
when he found the net from close range once more, but the goal was disallowed
for offside.
Striker Cheick Tidiane Diabate tried
to salvage some Malian pride with a shot at the near post, which was smothered
by Enyeama, before striker Mahamadou Samassa's close-range effort was palmed
away by the Maccabi Tel Aviv keeper.
Substitute Diarra then grabbed the
consolation for the Malians, stroking home into the corner, after some good
work on the left by fellow replacement Diabate created the opening.
Diarra almost grabbed a second in
injury time, but saw his effort curl just over Enyeama's bar, as the dejected
Malians moved on to Port Elizabeth for Saturday's play-off, while the resurgent
Nigerians progressed to Sunday's final in Johannesburg.
Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi:
"Mali are a good team with a top
player like Seydou Keita.
"But they are not very fast at
the back and we took advantage of this to score our first two goals."
Mali coach Patrice Carteron:
"I'm still proud of this team.
"We worked hard even though we
did not reach the final."
LINEUP, BOOKINGS (4) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)
Mali
·
01 Samassa
·
02 Diawara Booked
·
03 Tamboura
·
13 Wague
·
21 Ndiaye
·
06 Sissoko (Diabate - 56' )
·
08 K Traore
·
12 Keita
·
17 M Traore (Sow - 66' Booked )
·
10 Maiga Booked (C Diarra - 46' )
·
15 Samassa
Substitutes
·
16 So Diakite
·
22 Yirango
·
04 A Coulibaly
·
05 I Coulibaly
·
19 S Coulibaly
·
23 O Coulibaly
·
11 S Diarra
·
18 Sow
·
20 Sa Diakite
·
07 C Diarra
·
09 Diabate
Nigeria
·
01 Enyeama
·
03 Echiejile
·
05 Ambrose Booked (Yobo - 81' )
·
14 Obobona
·
22 Omeruo
·
08 Brown (Uzoenyi - 71' )
·
10 Mikel
·
17 Onazi
·
09 Emenike
·
11 Moses (Musa - 53' )
·
19 Mba
Substitutes
·
16 Ejide
·
23 Agbim
·
02 Yobo
·
06 Egwueke
·
21 Oshaniwa
·
04 Obiorah
·
12 Gabriel
·
13 Ogude
·
20 Igiebor
·
07 Musa
·
15 Uche
·
18 Uzoenyi
Ref: Bakary Gassama
Att: 54,000
Source:BBC Sport
Source:BBC Sport
Tags
Sports