The Nigerian national team advanced to the final of the African playoff for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after defeating Gabon 4-1 after extra time on Thursday in the semi-final, held in Morocco.
At the “Moulay Hassan” Stadium in Morocco’s capital, Rabat, Nigeria took the lead through Akor Adams in the 78th minute. However, Mario Lemina equalized for Gabon in the 89th minute, sending the match into a 30-minute extra time split into two halves. During this period, the “Flying Super Eagles” secured their victory thanks to the brilliance of their star and top scorer, Victor Osimhen.
Chidera Ejuke scored Nigeria’s second goal in the 98th minute, while Victor Osimhen netted the third and fourth goals in the 102nd and 110th minutes, respectively. This made up for his missed opportunity to end the match in regular time, after he failed to convert a clear chance in the 12th minute of added time in the second half.
With this result, Nigeria ended Gabon’s dreams of reaching the World Cup for the first time and will face the winner of the other semi-final between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, scheduled later today, in the playoff final to determine Africa’s representative in the intercontinental playoff.
Nigeria aims to qualify for the World Cup for the seventh time in its history, having previously participated in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2018, and advancing past the group stage on four occasions.
Rabat – Saba: @YemenNews
