Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen were the bright spots in a dominant 3-0 win by Nigeria’s Super Eagles over the Squirrels of Benin Republic in their opening match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Saturday in Uyo. Both players turned out excellent displays to give the Nigeria national men’s football team a winning start.
Lookman, fresh from his nomination for the prestigious 2024 Ballon d’Or, celebrated his call-up in style with two great goals. His efforts put the 2024 AFCON runners-up in pole position to qualify for the next edition in Morocco.
First-Half Drama.
Still, Benin’s defense was somewhat resilient as it tested the mettle of the Super Eagles throughout the first half of the game. However, the deadlock was finally broken right before the half-time whistle when Lookman did his magic: expertly evading the defenders, the Atalanta forward released a shot which found the back of the net to give the Super Eagles a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Osimhen’s Impact
Victor Osimhen, fresh from his headline-grabbing move to Turkey’s Galatasaray, showed why he is still the reigning African Footballer of the Year. Thrown on for Victor Boniface in the second half, Osimhen needed no time to stamp his authority. Receiving a pass from Wilfred Ndidi in the 78th minute, he hit a stunning half-volley to double Nigeria’s lead.
Sealing the Win.
Lookman was not done yet. He crowned his brilliant performance, heading home a pinpoint cross from Simon Moses in the 83rd minute, placing the ball high up in the right corner of the net, beyond the reach of Benin goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbé. His second goal of the day sealed the 3-0 victory for Nigeria.
This was a good start to life for the returning interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, as Super Eagles boss. It’s sweet revenge for Nigeria, who lost 2-1 to Benin in June during a World Cup qualifier. With this great result, the Super Eagles have gotten off to a flying start in their AFCON 2025 qualifying campaign.
