Talismanic striker Victor Osimhen’s brace in extra time added the finishing touches to two earlier goals from the boys from Sevilla – Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke – as Nigeria needed extra time to see off Gabon in the first of World Cup African playoffs in Morocco.
After his hat-trick heroics in Nigeria’s last match in Group C last month against Benin, which ensured qualification for the playoffs, Osimhen went from hero to zero when he missed a glorious chance to win the game in the12 minute of stoppage time, as he went through one-on-one against Gabon goalie Loyce Mbaba. The Galatasaray hitman completely fluffed his lines when it looked easier to score.
At this point, it was looking like it wasn’t going to be Nigeria’s day after Mario Lemina had cancelled out Akor Adams’ opening goal via a shot that deflected off Bright Osayi-Samuel with one minute of regular time left. There was nothing bright about Osayi-Samuel’s performance in the pouring rain in Rabat.
Gabon should have been awarded a penalty via VAR after Osayi-Samuel clearly pulled the shirt of a Gabon attacker while defending a freekick in the 52nd minute. After a lengthy review by the referee and VAR officials, the penalty wasn’t given possibly because it seemed like the attacking player won’t have reached the ball.
Nigeria started proceedings dominating the ball, but lacking in sharpness in the final third. Osimhen was denied a couple of times by Mbaba as Gabon looked to play on the break.
Gabon seized the initiative after the break as the Nigerian players appeared to have continued the one-day strike they had on Tuesday when they refused to train due to a failure by the federation to pay their allowances. The midfield with Alex Iwobi and captain Wilfred Ndidi lacked dynamism, as Ademola Lookman struggled to make an impact while Samuel Chukwueze resorted to type after getting accolades for providing two assists in the last game.
Coach Eric Chelle hauled off Lookman and Chukwueze as the hour approached, replacing them with Moses Simon and Ejuke. But it was Gabon that helped Nigeria make the breakthrough via a loose ball from defender Aaron Appindangoye which was intercepted by Adams to calmly finish with his left foot in the 78th minute. Nigeria lacked the discipline for game management and failed to see the game out as momentum swung towards Gabon with Lemina’s equaliser with a minute of regular time left.
Sadly for Gabon, Nigeria found an extra gear in extra time. A marvellous run from Ndidi, who must have got his second wind from the presence sub Frank Onyeka alongside him in midfield, ended with him delivering a perfectly-weighted pass to Ejuke seven minutes into extra time. The Sevilla winger didn’t even need to control the ball to side-foot it into the net.
Five minutes later defender Benjamin Frederick, who hardly put a foot wrong all game, won the ball around the halfway line, charged forward and found Osimhen in the same spot as Ejuke on the right and he finished in a similar manner. Osimhen saved the best for last eight minutes later bamboozling defenders with his trademark buccaneering control and a cool finish.
Ndidi tried to have the last word with a rasping long range drive that was turned round the post by Mbaba. 5-1 would have flattered Nigeria and it was probably best for them to save some goals for the final of the African leg of the playoffs against either the Democratic Republic of Congo or neighbours Cameroon on Sunday.
Coach Chelle tweeted after the match: “When almost all hope was lost, you all still believed. Your faith, your prayers, your words of encouragement — they meant everything to me and the entire team. That 4–1 victory over Gabon wasn’t just our win, it was Nigeria’s win. A reminder that when we stand together, we are unstoppable. Thank you for trusting the process, for standing firm behind me, and for believing in this vision even when things seemed uncertain. The journey continues — and I promise, we’ll keep fighting for this great nation with all we’ve got.”
