Nigeria’s Super Eagles have secured their place in the African World Cup qualifying playoffs final after a commanding 4-1 victory over Gabon in the semi-final clash in Morocco on Thursday night.
The match, held at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, started with both teams employing a cautious approach in the first half, resulting in a goalless stalemate at the break. However, the game came to life in the second half as Nigeria asserted their dominance.
Akor Adam opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 78th minute, giving the Super Eagles a crucial lead. Gabon responded swiftly, equalising just before the end of regular time when Mario Lemina found the back of the net in the 89th minute, sending the match into extra time.
As the game entered extra time, Chidera Ejuke restored Nigeria’s lead in the 98th minute, and just four minutes later, Victor Osimhen extended Eric Chelle’s side’s advantage with a well-placed shot, making it 3-1 for the Super Eagles and sending the Nigerian fans into raptures. Not contentended with that, Osimhen scored his second goal of the match in the 110th minute to seal the victory for Nigeria.
With this win, Nigeria has taken a significant stride towards their World Cup aspirations, while Gabon will be left to reflect on missed opportunities as they exit the competition. Nigeria will face the winner of the second playoff semi-final match between Cameroon and DR Congo being played this Thursday night, later on Sunday.
