Nsofor strike secures third place for Nigeria in Angola

VICTOR Nsofor's second half goal handed Nigeria their fourth third-place finish in five attempts at the African Cup of Nations in Angola.

ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID: Nigeria settle for third again after beating Algeria 1-0 courtesy of Victor Obinna Nsofor's second-half strike (Getty Images)

The Super Eagles have flattered to deceive all tournament, scraping their way into the semi finals before being edged out by Ghana in a scrappy last four encounter.

Nigeria's rollercoaster form continued in Benguela as they struggled in the first half before Nsofor's 55th minute winner handed them a 1-0 win over Algeria.

The Desert Foxes had disgraced themselves in their 4-0 semi-final defeat by defending champions Egypt, ending up with eight men after a tempestuous encounter.

But Algeria showed much better discipline on Saturday and played some of their most attractive football of the competition as they pushed for an equaliser in the last 20 minutes.

But for all their dominance in the second-half, the Desert Foxes lacked a genuine goal-threat and failed to consistently break down the Super Eagles defence.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's frontline was transformed by the introduction of Portsmouth striker Nwankwo Kanu.

Head coach Shaibu Amodu brought in Kanu for Peter Odemwingie after the Lokomotiv Moscow striker publicly criticised his manager's tactics after their defeat to Ghana.

And while Kanu had little effect in the opening 45 minutes, the veteran forward proved a class above in the second half, teasing the Algeria defence with his quick feet and subtle through-balls and playing a part in Nsofor's opportunistic goal.

The young striker was quick to act after Kanu had caused confusion on the edge of the Algeria area and smartly slid the ball past the on-rushing Algeria goalkeeper Mohamed Ousserir.

Whether or not Kanu will be involved for the Super Eagles at June's World Cup in South Africa remains to be seen. However, the Pompey forward will be more likely to be involved than his under-fire manager as Amodu was fired after finishing third in his last tenure as manager eight years ago.

Meanwhile, Algeria will also head to South Africa in June and will hope to rediscover the form that took them past favourites Ivory Coast in the quarter final with England, Slovenia and USA in their group.