Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi warned that his team was still far from greatness, though the potential was there after they reached their first Africa Cup of Nations final in 13 years on Wednesday.
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A stunning first-half displayed helped the Super Eagles demolish Mali 4-1 in their semifinal at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
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Elderson Echiejile, Brown Ideye, and Emmanuel Emenike were all on target as the two-time former champions led 3-0 in the first half, before Ahmed Musa scored on the hour mark to stretch the advantage to 4-0.
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Mali, huge underdogs for the clash, eventually replied through Cheick Fantamady with 15 minutes left, but it proved a meagre consolation as they were outdone by a rival team full of energy and pace.
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Meanwhile Burkina Faso will be playing their first final after causing the biggest upset of the tournament when they defied the odds to oust Ghana on penalties in the second semifinal.