THE Super Eagles of Nigeria have defeated the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in their opening match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification.
The match which was held at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Akwa Ibom State, saw the Super Eagles dominate and deliver a commanding performance with a 3-0 victory.
Nigeria’s forwards were in lethal form, with Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, each finding the back of the net.
Lookman, who made the Ballon d’Or 30-man shortlist after a stellar season with Atalanta in Europe, opened the scoring with a wonderful footwork, dribbling past three players and a goalkeeper in the 45 +2 minute, to give the Super Eagles a first-half lead.
While the Benin Republic struggled to break down the Nigerian defence and rarely posed a threat to the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper in the first half, the Eagles failed to double their lead from the number of chances they created.
However, Nwabali, tipped a free-kick around the post in the first period, and subsequently made two quick saves to deny Steve Mounie from equalising.
The second half saw a continued barrage from Nigeria, with Osimhen doubling the lead in the 78th minutes, just a few minutes after he made it to the pitch with a well-placed shot from the opponent’s box, thanks to a wonderful pass from Ndidi.
Lookman put the game beyond doubt in the 83th minute with a header.
This victory was coming some months after the Eagles suffered a 2-1 defeat from the Cheetahs in Abidjan in June, during a World Cup qualification match.
With this win, the Super Eagles have made a strong statement of intent in their quest to qualify for the AFCON 2025 tournament.
Currently, Nigeria leads the group with three points, while Rwanda and Libya each have one point, with all four teams having played one match.
Nigeria’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, against Rwanda, while Benin will face Libya on the same day.
The win will be a boost for interim coach Austin Eguavoen, who took charge of the Super Eagles after the Nigeria Football Federation halted negotiations with German coach Bruno Labbadia.
The ICIR, on August 27, reported that Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced that it had reached an agreement with German tactician, Bruno Labbadia, to become the head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles.
While Labbadia would have become the Super Eagles’ 37th coach – since 1949 – and the 23rd foreign coach hired by Nigeria for the team, Labbadia turned down the opportunity to work with the eagles.
According to the German news outlet Kicker, Labbadia rejected the offer following the impatience of the NFF in properly concluding the contract talk
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M