The Super Eagles of Nigeria kicked off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Saturday.
Dominant First Half
Benin Republic started cautiously, allowing the Super Eagles to dominate possession.
Nigeria’s first real chance came in the 17th minute when Ademola Lookman, set up by Wilfred Ndidi, missed a golden opportunity, firing wide.
Two minutes before the half-hour mark, Benin goalkeeper Saturnin Alagbe pulled off an excellent save to deny Samuel Chukwueze from close range.
The Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, was also called into action to stop a free-kick from Benin’s Steve Mounie five minutes before halftime.
With the first half winding down, Lookman dribbled past three defenders and fired into the net, giving Nigeria a well-deserved lead.
Second-Half Goals
Benin Republic began to grow into the game, with Mounie testing Nwabali again from inside the box.
However, Nigeria doubled their lead 12 minutes from time when five minute substitute Victor Osimhen, assisted by Wilfred Ndidi, slotted home a second goal.
Lookman sealed the win in the 82nd minute with his second goal of the match, securing all three points for Nigeria.
Group D Standings
With this victory, Nigeria sits atop Group D in the AFCON 2025 qualifiers. Rwanda and Libya played out a 1-1 draw in their match, leaving them in second and third place, respectively.
The Super Eagles now turn their attention to Rwanda, whom they face at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Tuesday.
Gernot Rohr’s Missed Revenge
Benin Republic’s head coach, Gernot Rohr, previously guided Benin to a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
However, Rohr was unable to replicate that result, as his side was outplayed by the Super Eagles.
Osimhen’s Record-Breaking Feat
Galatasaray latest signing and striker, Victor Osimhen, who is on loan from Napoli, continued his remarkable goal-scoring form by netting his 22nd goal for the Super Eagles.
This moved him into third place on Nigeria’s all-time top scorers list, surpassing Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
Osimhen now trails only Rashidi Yekini and Segun Odegbami on Nigeria’s goal-scoring leaderboard.
Nigeria’s Top 10 All-Time Scorers:
- Rashidi Yekini – 37 goals
- Segun Odegbami – 23 goals
- Victor Osimhen – 22 goals
- Yakubu Aiyegbeni – 21 goals
- Ikechukwu Uche – 19 goals
- Obafemi Martins – 18 goals
- Sunday Oyarekhua – 17 goals
- Samson Siasia – 16 goals
- Odion Jude Ighalo – 16 goals
- Ahmed Musa – 16 goals
