Nigerian Stephen Keshi is on the verge of becoming only the second person to collect Africa Cup of Nations gold medals as a footballer and a coach. The first to achieve the feat was the late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary, who helped his country defeat Sudan 2-1 in the 1959 final and guided the Pharaohs to a 2-0 victory over South Africa 39 years later. A towering centre-back, Keshi skippered the Super Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Zambia in an emotional 1994 final with the losers fielding a team rebuilt one year after the national squad was wiped out in a plane crash off Gabon.

Victor Moses has exploded on to the Africa Cup of Nations scene on his debut appearance, the pacey Chelsea winger making a huge contribution to Nigeria's run to Sunday's final. The Super Eagles were 11 minutes away in their closing group game from taking an early flight back to Lagos, only for the Stamford Bridge star to score the first of two penalties that would keep them in the competition. That Moses-led 2-0 win over Ethiopia gave Nigeria the runners-up spot behind surprise table-toppers Burkina Faso.

Nigeria's sensational run to the final of the African Cup of Nations has united the often divided country in football pride and given a nation that has grown weary with bad news a reason to celebrate. With Africa's largest population and massive oil wealth, many see Nigeria as a natural powerhouse held back by corruption and division, but some football fans say that reputation could be improved with a win on Sunday.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has maintained his team are still a work in progress even after they thrashed Mali 4-1 on Wednesday to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final. "We're just growing, I'm still building," said Keshi after the Super Eagles flew past Mali at Moses Mabhida Stadium in this port city. "There is a lot of talent and potential in this team, but it will take time for us to be a real team."