The Super Eagles of
Nigeria have qualified for the semi-final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
(AFCON).
The team defeated Algeria 2-0 in the quarter-final at the
Grand Stade de Marrakech on Saturday.
The build-up to the match was riddled with controversies,
but the Eagles put the off-field drama aside and produced a dominating
performance against the Algerians.
There was a huge question mark over Victor Osimhen following
his angry outburst at some of his teammates during the second round game. There
were reports that he was fed up with the team, dropped his accreditation tag
and was prepared to return to Turkey. But his performance against Algeria tells
a different and brighter story.
The 27-year-old scored a goal and provided the assist for
Akor Adams in a match in which Nigeria could have scored another four.
Osimhen scored the first goal of the match, barely two
minutes into the second half, with a cushioned header off a hanging cross from
Bruno Onyemaechi. The striker hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity
before jaming his head into the ball, which bounced off the ground and beyond
Luca Zidane, who hadn’t conceded a goal in the competition.
The strike was Osimhen’s fourth of the competition. The goal
was also his 35th for the Eagles, and he is just two goals away from the
all-time record of Rashidi Yekini.
Ten minutes later, Osimhen was the provider. He was picked
out by a searching pass from Alex Iwobi at the edge of the Algerian goal area.
He had Ramy Bensebaini matching his stride and turned deftly to evade the
defender. Osimhen then raised his head and spotted Adams racing late into the
box. A pass was tacked into Sevilla’s striker’s path. Zidane rushed out and was
eviscerated by Adams with one touch, and the goal was gaping.
The Super Eagles advanced to the AFCON final four for the
16th time in the team’s history and will face Morocco for a place in the final
on Wednesday at 9 pm Nigerian time.
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