One of the scorers in Nigeria's semi-final win over Bafana Bafana earlier this week has explained why he was confident his side would win if the match went to penalties.
Nigeria overcame South Africa 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday night to reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2013.
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Bafana went into that match on the back of a confidence-boosting quarter-final victory over Cape Verde, with goalkeeper Ronwen Williams making history by saving four penalties in the shootout, becoming the first shot-stopper to do so at an AFCON.
However, the Super Eagles emerged victorious in the semi-final on Wednesday as Williams was unable to save any of their kicks, even though Ola Aina skied his effort over the crossbar.
Defender Kenneth Omeruo was brought on in the dying stages of extra-time in a calculated move by Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro, and he went on to successfully convert from the spot in the shootout.
Asked about the intense shootout, he told Sports Brief: "Yes, [I had so much confidence] because we've been training and practising every day since the second round, and it gave us the confidence; it wasn't something new when we went out to play.
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"Yeah, when I saw the game [South Africa vs Cape Verde] and penalty shootout, I knew we would beat them; I knew I would score my own penalty, and we have good penalty takers as well, so for me, I wasn't panicking."
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