With the weight of a nation on their shoulders, the Super Eagles of Nigeria delivered when it mattered most, battling past a resilient Gabon National Football Team side 4-1 after extra time to secure a place in the playoff final of the African path toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup, report Nigeriasoccernet.com.
The match opened at a deliberate pace as both sides gauged each other under Moroccan skies. Nigeria enjoyed a higher share of possession and territorial advantage, but found little reward in the early stages. Gabon, for its part, was organised and disciplined, able to resist momentary Nigerian incursions and limit clear-cut opportunities.
As the half progressed, the Super Eagles’ attacking trio, led by Victor Osimhen, began to test the Gabon rearguard. However, under muggy conditions and with the game’s urgency growing, a breakthrough only came in the 78th minute: a shallow back-pass from Gabon’s defence was pounced on by Akor Adams, who calmly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home to quiet the Nigerian supporters.
But Gabon were far from finished. In the 89th minute, midfielder Mario Lemina peeled off the mark to fire a strike that deflected in off a Nigerian defender, restoring parity and dragging the game into extra time under a growing tension.
With the deadlock still intact and the legs weary, Nigeria came out for extra time with renewed purpose. Seven minutes in (97’), the advantage returned: a bold forward run from midfield maestro Wilfred Ndidi released Chidera Ejuke down the flank, who cut inside and fired beyond the keeper to make it 2-1.
A roar went up in the stands.
Five minutes later (102’), Osimhen redeemed from a late miss earlier, raced on to a clever pass from Benjamin Fredrick, and calmly placed the ball beyond the reach of the keeper to extend the lead to 3-1.
And the coup de grâce came in the 110th minute, when Osimhen chested down a long ball, powered past two defenders, and curled a finish into the bottom corner, sealing the 4-1 victory and sending Nigerian fans into euphoria.
Nigeria now progresses to the playoff final of the African zone, where they will face the winner of the semifinal between Cameroon National Football Team and the Democratic Republic of Congo National Football Team on Sunday. The victor from that final will then take part in the inter-continental playoff in March 2026 for a place at the World Cup.
Oluwayemi Omolagba