NIGERIA cruised into the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a commanding 4–0 victory over Mozambique Monday night at the Stade de Fès in Morocco.
The Super Eagles produced a dominant first-half display before sealing the contest early in the second half at the 75th minute.
Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 20th minute after a well-worked team move. Alex Iwobi threaded a precise through pass into space for Adams, who drove into the box and pulled back a fine cut-back that Lookman calmly finished beyond the Mozambican goalkeeper.
Nigeria doubled their advantage five minutes later, with Victor Osimhen getting on the scoresheet in the 25th minute. Adams again played a key role, providing the assist as Osimhen reacted quickest inside the box to slot home and put the Super Eagles firmly in control.
Osimhen struck again shortly after the restart, scoring his second of the night in the 47th minute to effectively put the tie beyond the reach of his opponents.
Nigeria completed the rout in the 75th minute after a perfectly weighted pass into space by Lookman, allowed Adams to apply a neat finish and cap a dominant individual performance.
Mozambique struggled to recover throughout the match. Despite brief spells of resistance, the Mambas were unable to create clear-cut chances against a disciplined Nigerian backline.
Eric Chelle’s side controlled the remainder of the contest, managing possession and limiting Mozambique to speculative efforts, as the Super Eagles comfortably saw out the game.
The win extended Nigeria’s unbeaten run in the tournament and maintained their perfect record against Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also beaten them 4–0 in their only previous AFCON meeting in 2010.
Nigeria will now face either Algeria or DR Congo in the quarterfinals as they continue their quest for a fourth continental title.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M