AFCON: Nigeria Keeper Celebrates Title by Trying, Failing to Pick Up Referee

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 11, 2013

commentComment        

We've said it before, but it bears repeating. Among the many, many reasons we love the Africa Cup of Nations, the celebrations might rank the highest.

Now, as we prepare to bid farewell to the AFCoN, let's take another moment to appreciate the best the continent has to offer.

Nigeria won the title Sunday, defeating upstarts Burkina Faso 1-0 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the third title all-time and first since 1994 for Nigeria, who will now play in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil this summer.

Sunday Mba, a fabulously-named 24-year-old central midfielder, scored the fabulously slick winner in the 40th minute (video here). The same teams had met in the group stage, with Alain Traore's stoppage-time equalizer giving Burkina Faso a 1-1 draw.

Burkina Faso had defeated Ghana on penalties in the semifinals and looked tired after playing 120 minutes in each of their previous two matches.

"Possibly, we were a little tired after two matches that went to extra-time, but I'm not going to look for excuses," said coach Paul Put (via BBC Sport). "The whole of Burkina Faso can be proud of their players."

Immediately after the final whistle, Nigeria keeper and captain Vincent Enyeama set out to celebrate with the first person he encountered. That person happened to be referee Djamel Haimoudi of Algeria.

To mark the occasion, Enyeama did what any of us would do and tried to lift Haimoudi off his feet.

Video of the attempt—which failed—appears above. It's our Set Piece Video of the Day for this post-AFCoN Monday. Enjoy.

"Winning this is mainly for my nation," said Nigeria manager Stephen Keshi (via BBC Sport). "When I came on board a year and a half ago, my dream was to make all Nigerians happy, and to construct a great Nigerian team. We are not there yet, it's still in process."

How far will that process take Nigeria? Let us kn...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!