Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman were the heros as Super Eagles of Nigeria record their bigest win in almost a year in a 3-0 success over Republic of Benin in Uyo on Saturday evening.
Finally an enjoyable Super Eagles game in a long time. Fans in the Godswill Akpabio Stadium must be delighted to be treated to such a spectacle against an opponent who had gotten the better of Nigeria in their previous game.
Temper was at the climax ahead of kickoff due to the shambolic performances of the team in recent times, which amongst other occurrences led to the sacking of former coach Finidi George after a few weeks of his appointment on permanent basis.
The pressure was also on for interim manager Austin Eguavoen. Although the former right-back was not in an unfamiliar territory, recent turn of events has seen the Eagles less super, and on his first assignment, the priority was to hit the ground running in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
The Cheetahs of Benin, led by former Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr, arrived in Nigeria with an unbeaten record in their previous three competitive games, winning the last two, which included a 2-1 win over Nigeria in their last game back in June.
However, the day would belong to the Super Eagles of Nigeria as three quality goals from Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, the latter who bagged a brace sealed a winning start in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman star in Super Eagles’ win
Against the odds, the three time African champion delivered a statement performance to end their three game winless run, which stretched back to March. The win, secured thanks to a Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman brace signaled a potential return to form, after a string of underwhelming results post AFCON 2023.
How it happened in Uyo
Faced with a team struggling for consistency, Eguavoen’s first assignment couldn’t have gone any better. The 59-year-old made tactical adjustments but kept things simple. A move that paid off handsomely as they dominated proceedings earlier on.
Notably, the players’ attitude was very positive right from the start. Eguavoen went for the best in each position, except for attack, where Victor Boniface started ahead of Victor Osimhen, who had a lot to do with his new club hence took sometime before joining the squad for preparation.
Captain William Troost-Ekong was flanked by Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey in a three man defence. Alex Iwobi paired Wilfred Ndidi in the middle of the park, both flanked by Ola Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi.
A front three of Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Okoh Boniface and Ballon d’Or nominee, Ademola Lookman looked sharp and ready to help the country put behind their misfortune of late. The aura was there to be felt, and after 90 minutes, even their opponents will attest to the fact.
The Super Eagles were all over their opponent in the opening 30 minutes as chances continued to flow amongst the attaking trio. Ademola Lookman, who had been a constant threat all game put the host ahead with a moment of brilliant in added time at the end of first-half.
The Atalanta forward took over possession on the edge of the visitor’s box, showed determination to skip past a couple of challenges before firing a low shot past the goalkeeper from close range to send the stadium into frenzy.
Nigeria took the one goal lead into the half-time break and in the second-half, Victor Osimhen scored six minutes after coming off the bench to double the lead in the 12 minutes from time. It was the new Galatasaray man’s first goal for his country since scoring against Equatorial Guinea in their opening game at AFCON 2023.
This latest goal sees him move to joint second in the all-time leading Goalscorer list in the history of Nigeria, equaling Segun Odegbami at 22 strikes with only Rashidi Yekini now having more, with 37.
There was time for a third as Ademola Lookman completed his brace with a dinking header from a Moses Simon cross in the 83rd minute. The goal means Lookman has scored six goals for Nigeria in 2024. What a player.
The CAF Men’s Player of the Year hopeful has also taken his goal involvements since the start of last season to 35, further strengthening his chances to claim the coveted prize.
Victor Osimhen‘s goal is also a relief for the player, teammates and entourage following what was a hectic summer where his future was in the air until this week, that he completed a season long loan move to Turkish giant Galatasaray from Napoli.
Looking ahead, the Super Eagles will aim to maintain this level of performance when they visit Kigali to face Rwanda on Tuesday. It will also be a priority for Eguavoen, who may be auditioning for future opportunity, before handing over to Bruno Labbadia, the German recently confirmed as the successor of Finidi George.
The win over Benin will do well for the team’s confidence as they have a lot of grounds to make up for in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where they are currently positioned fifth, four points behind Group C leader, Rwanda.
But as far as the AFCON 2025 qualifiers is concerned, a winning start is sealed, and making it back-to-back is now the next goal. This is a much needed win for the team, one that offers hopes that the future may yet hold promise despite their uncharacteristic showings of recent.
