Cometh the hour, cometh the talisman as Victor Osimhen scored a glorious hat trick for Nigeria in a 4-0 win against Benin in the last round of Africa World Cup qualifying Group C in Uyo, Nigeria.
Nigeria came into the match knowing what they needed to do against group leaders Benin to either finish on top of the group or make it to the African playoffs as one of the four best runners-up. First to leapfrog over Benin, who beat them 2-1 in the earlier rounds, they had to win with at least two clear goals.
The home team didn’t have to wait too long for Osimhen, who was playing like a man possessed and once said he was “ready to die for the badge” of Nigeria, to get going. The Galatasaray hitman ran on to a Samuel Chukwueze through ball in the third minute to score his 27th goal in 44 games for his country. While the goal settled Nigerian nerves, they seemed to have stopped playing and taken their feet off the pedal.
Benin started growing in the game and the Uyo crowd grew a bit restless, but Osimhen continued to keep the Benin defence on their toes. With about nine minutes of the first half remaining, Chukwueze combined with Benjamin Fredrick, who had a polished game at rightback, down the left of the Benin defence and the Fulham winger swung an inviting cross to the back-post for Osimhen to bury with a header.
Chukwueze’s two assists for Osimhen’s brace meant Ademola Lookman’s absence from suspension didn’t prove to be fatal. This must be Chukwueze’s most effective game in 47 appearances for his country.
But the day belonged to Osimhen. The 2023 African Footballer of Year completed his hat trick in the 51st minute with a diving header, this time from a Moses Simon freekick. The demoralised Beninois players, coached by former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, alongside Nigerians all over the world, didn’t see a 3-0 coming from this Nigerian team that drew matches in the group against teams like Lesotho and Zimbabwe to find themselves in a situation in which their World Cup hopes hung on a thread. When his country needed him the most, Osimhen showed what he was capable of and what made him one of the best strikers in the world, and thoroughly deserving to showcase his talents and the biggest stage of them all.
Sub Frank Onyeka rubbed insult into injury in injury time with a fourth goal from a Simon cross. As Group C rivals South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 at home to finish as group leaders, Nigeria had to settle for second with a decent goal difference that means they will go into the draw for the playoffs. This will involve four best runners-up in Africa playing two one-off semi-finals in November, with the winners facing off in a final. The winner of the final will then take part in a playoff tournament with five other teams from Asia, South America and Oceania, from which two teams will qualify for the World Cup next year.
The road is still long and winding, but Nigeria lives to fight another day. And any team with Osimhen has a fighting chance.
