Nigeria defeated host nation and arch-rivals Ghana 2-0 in the final Group A clash at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium to secure a semi-final place at the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations.
Anthony Okpotu and Peter Eneji were the goal-scorers on the day for the Super Eagles, who finished in second-place behind group winners Ghana.
It was always going to be a keenly-contested game, with emotions running high, due to the well-documented age long rivalry between both nations at international football.
Coach Salisu Yusuf opted to revert to a tried-and-tested 4-2-3-1 formation, ditching his preferred 4-4-2 diamond formation which had seen the team struggle to impress and create openings in the previous group matches.
Eneji and Ubong Friday were handed starts in the wide positions and both were constant threats to the Black Stars defence early on.
Ubong should have shot Nigeria ahead in the sixth minute, but somehow managed to make a mess of the opportunity after being one-on-one with goalkeeper Joe Addo.
Addo was called into action minutes later, making a double save, punching the first attempt and saving the follow-up volley.
The Ghanaians were struggling to cope with the fantastic movement of the Super Eagles, who delighted a cheering home support.
Felix Addo appeared to be the biggest threat in attack for the home team, and twice he failed to have given Ghana the lead, after successfully breaching a well-marshalled defence line led by Stephen Eze and Adeleye Olamilekan.
Nigeria started the second-half well and deservedly took the lead, when NPFL hotshot Okpotu struck in the 52nd minute to silence the home support and provide relief to the Nigerian team.
Man-of-The-Match Eneji doubled their advantage three minutes later, marking his first start of the competition with his second goal of the tournament.
Substitute Gabriel Okechukwu could have added a third goal within seconds of coming on but wasted a bit of time, which allowed Ghana to clear the danger.
The timely win will surely boost the morale of the Super Eagles, who displayed the dogged Nigerian spirit on the night in a game played in a friendly atmosphere ahead of their semifinal clash on Thursday against the winners of Group B, which will be decided on Tuesday night.