MONASTIR, Feb 13: Jay Jay Okocha notched his fourth goal of the tournament to help Nigeria secure third place at the African Nations Cup finals with a 2-1 win over Mali on Friday.

The Nigeria skipper went joint top of the goal scoring charts with a 17th minute free kick and then set up striker Peter Odemwingie for a second just after the interval.

Okocha's fiercely struck free kick took a deflection off Mali's captain Mahamadou Diarra to deceive the goalkeeper and give Nigeria a halftime lead. Okocha then provided a second goal after the break with a swooping cross that Odemwingie steered into the net with his head in the 47th minute.

Mali reduced the deficit through Janvier Abouta in the 70th minute with a sweetly-struck volley from an acute angle. But wild shooting from Abouta and Mohamed Lamine Sissokho saw them waste other chances to equalise.

Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama also made a good save from Djibril Sidibe's swerving free kick. Tottenham Hotspur forward Frederic Kanoute, hoping to score his fifth goal of the tournament for Mali, had no opportunities and was substituted after 65 minutes.

It was the second successive tournament that Nigeria had beaten Mali in the third place play-off match. Hosts Tunisia meet Morocco in Saturday's final at Rades. -Reuters