By Ogbitse Meyiwa
The Super Eagles have now qualified for AFCON 2025 in Morocco, even before facing Benin Republic, where a draw or a win would have secured their spot. However, they did not need to rely on this result, as they qualified automatically after Rwanda lost to Libya, making the Super Eagles’ qualification certain.
In their final match, despite already qualifying, the Super Eagles aimed to leave the qualifier group stage undefeated. They held a 1-1 draw with Benin Republic, with M. Tijani scoring in the 16th minute to put Benin ahead. However, a well-placed cross from Moses Simon to Victor Osimhen in the 81st minute levelled the score, ending Benin’s hopes of a victory. The Super Eagles finished Group D unbeaten, leading with 11 points, scoring 8 goals, and conceding only 1 throughout the group stage, with 3 wins and 2 draws.
Victor Osimhen, who scored the equaliser, now has 37 caps for the Super Eagles. He has matched Segun Odegbami’s record of 23 goals, making him Nigeria’s joint-second all-time top scorer, with only Rashidi Yekini ahead of him with 37 goals. Osimhen has been outstanding for both his club and national team.
The Super Eagles look forward to competing for the AFCON 2025 trophy.