Nigeria’s dwindling hope of hoisting her flag at the 2028 FIFA World Cup was boosted yesterday in Kigali as the Super Eagles defeated the Amavubi of Rwanda 2-0 in the Group C of the Africa World Cup qualifier.
Two first half goals from Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, did the damage as the Super Eagles defence foiled all efforts by the Wasps to stage any comeback.
Osimhen was the hero as the Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a crucial win over Rwanda in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash yesterday.
The Napoli striker, currently on loan at Galatasaray, netted a first-half brace to breathe life into Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign, which had previously been hanging by a thread.
Nigeria entered the encounter with immense pressure, having picked up only three points from their opening four matches.
But the Super Eagles delivered a composed first-half performance to silence the home crowd at the Amahoro Stadium.
Osimhen opened the scoring in the 25th minute. A well-delivered freekick from Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman found him unmarked at the far post, and the forward made no mistake, tapping home to hand Nigeria a deserved lead.
Moments later, Moses Simon came close to doubling the tally, but his powerful effort was superbly kept out by Rwanda’s goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari.
Nigeria remained in control, and their dominance paid off again in the 40th minute. A delightful pass from AC Milan star Samuel Chukwueze found Osimhen, who showed incredible composure to chip the ball past Ntwari for his second of the game – and his 25th international goal for the Super Eagles.
That goal sees the 26-year-old move ahead of Segun Odegbami on Nigeria’s all-time top scorers list, with only Rashidi Yekini (37 goals) now ahead of him.
Despite a goalless second half, Nigeria maintained their grip on the game and saw out the win comfortably. The 2013 AFCON Champions now have six points in the Group C standings.
By Kunle Adewale @ThisDay
