Nigeria convincingly marched into the Africa Cup of Nations final with a 4-1 triumph over Mali Wednesday, dpa reported. Two quick goals by Elderson Echiejile in the 26th minute and Brown Ideye four minutes later drained Mali of their spark just as the Eagles were beginning to find their feet in the semi-final. Emmanuel Emenike scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 44th minute, taking him to the top of scoring charts. His deflected shot from a free kick left Mali goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa for dead, effectively ending the match as a contest at half time. Ahmed Musa was then put through by a pin-point John Obi Mikel pass to score in the 60th minute, before Cheick Diarra scored a consolation goal in the 74th minute after fellow substitute Tidiane Diabbate drew Vincent Enyeame off his line. Ghana and Burkina Faso play later on Wednesday in Nelspruit for the right to face Nigeria in Sunday's final, while Mali head to Port Elizabeth for a third-fourth place match on Saturday.
