THE Super Eagles of Nigeria are through to the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoffs after a thrilling 4–1 victory over Gabon in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday night.
The tightly contested match saw Nigeria dig deep to overcome a stubborn Gabonese side, with late goals from Chidera Ejuke and Victor Osimhen sealing the win in extra time.
The Super Eagles appeared on course for victory when Akor Adams broke the deadlock in the 78th minute, taking advantage of a poor back pass from a Gabonese defender to slot the ball past the goalkeeper. But Gabon clawed their way back into the game, equalising in the 88th minute after a defensive lapse from Nigeria.
The tension intensified into extra time when Victor Osimhen missed a golden opportunity to seal the win for Nigeria, firing wide from close range in the 101st minute after being played through on goal.
The miss proved costly, as the match eventually went into extra time.
Meanwhile, seven minutes into the extra time, the Super Eagles regained control of the match, when substitute Chidera Ejuke fired home a clever pass from Wilfred Ndidi.
Their continued push for a security goal paid off when Victor Osimhen made it 3–1 in the 102nd minute, finishing clinically after dribbling past two defenders.
The one-time African Best Player went on to double his tally later in the second half of extra time with a fine finish to make it 4–1.
The result means Nigeria advanced to face the winner between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final playoff round.
The victory provides a morale boost for the Super Eagles, who had been embroiled in a brief training standoff earlier in the week over unpaid allowances.
Despite the off-field distractions, the team had arguably their most impressive performance in the first half in a long time.
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