The Super Eagles of Nigeria showed immense grit and attacking power, defeating Gabon’s Panthers 4-1 after a tense extra-time battle in Rabat to book their spot in the CAF World Cup Playoff final.
This victory keeps Nigeria’s World Cup qualification dream alive as they move one step closer to securing a berth in the inter-confederation play-offs.
The Super Eagles, despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, were held goalless for the first half of the semi-final CAF World Cup playoff.
However, Sevilla forward Akor Adams finally broke the deadlock for Nigeria in the 78th minute, pouncing on a defensive error to put the Eagles ahead.
The lead was short-lived, as Gabon’s midfielder Mario Lemina found the equalizer with a deflected strike in the 89th minute, forcing the game into extra time and raising the pressure on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification dream.
The additional period saw the Super Eagles come out with their full attacking potential. Victor Osimhen, who had a hat-trick in Nigeria’s final group game, overcame earlier misses to stamp his authority on the match.
Just seven minutes into extra time, substitute Chidera Ejuke found the back of the net after a brilliant pass from Wilfred Ndidi to restore Nigeria’s lead.
Five minutes later, Osimhen got his much-deserved goal, firing home from a tight angle (102′). The Galatasaray star then put the final nail in Gabon’s coffin with a stunning second goal in the 110th minute, bringing down a long ball, spinning past two defenders, and slotting it into the corner.
The final 4-1 scoreline confirms Nigeria’s dominance and keeps Nigeria’s World Cup qualification dream firmly on track.
The Super Eagles now advance to the World Cup playoff final this Sunday, where they will face the winner of the other semi-final between Cameroon and DR Congo. Only the winner of that final match will progress to the inter-continental play-offs for a final chance at securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This victory came after the Super Eagles boycotted training on Tuesday over unpaid allowances and bonuses since 2019.
Captain William Troost-Ekong had revealed that the team boycotted training in protest over the unpaid allowances and bonuses.
He said that the players had not made any extra demands beyond the settlement of their entitlements.
He said: “Once a resolution is found, we will be the first to confirm.
“Any other statement/claim or eSPECIALly demands other than the rightful request written about below is FALSE.
“All we want and continue to do is focus on the big games ahead
However, on Wednesday Troost-Ekong announced that the Super Eagles have resumed training after the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) settled their allowances.
“Issue RESOLVED. Outstanding financials cleared and on the ground. Team is UNITED and focused as before on representing NIGERIA with our maximum for the games ahead!” Ekong’s stated.
