Nigeria’s Super Eagles produced a thrilling performance to defeat Sao Tome and Principe in the Africa Cup of Nations final qualifiers, reports Soccernet.ng.
Under the leadership of coach Jose Peceiro, Nigeria refused to take the match lightly and eventually cruised to a comfortable 6-0 victory at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
In an action-packed encounter, Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi had a shot at the visitors’ goal at the beginning of the seventh minute, but it was blocked by a tenacious Sao Tome defender and resulted in a corner kick.
However, it was 2023 Ballon d’Or candidate Victor Osimhen who immediately changed the course of the game.
In the 12th minute, Osimhen broke the deadlock with a clever header, taking advantage of a precise pass from Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman.
With this remarkable goal, Osimhen equaled the record of the legendary Obafemi Martins, scoring his 18th goal for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria further extended their lead as the first half progressed. Frank Onyeka engineered a through pass to find Awoniyi, who was defended heavily by Sao Tome players, leading to a controversial penalty appeal that was ultimately disallowed.
Another shining moment for the Super Eagles came in the 28th minute when Ademola Lookman doubled the lead. After some good preparation by Wilfred Ndidi, Lookman took a chance outside the goal area and shot the ball into the goal.
Watch the video here:
What a good finish by Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman
– Kalahari Kila (@ayo_oguntimehin) 1 9 May
Kelechi Iheanacho appeared to have scored the third goal, but it was disallowed for offside, making the score 2-0.
At the start of the second half, former Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi continued to chase down Nigeria’s goal and extended his team’s lead with a fine finish in the 51st minute.
A few minutes later, Osimhen extended Nigeria’s lead after being fouled by Silva inside the penalty area. Osimhen confidently headed to the penalty spot and scored twice with a powerful shot that sent Sao Tome’s goalkeeper in the opposite direction.
In the 80th minute, Osimhen completed his hat-trick with a great shot thanks to a superb pass from Samuel Chukwueze. With this goal he scored an impressive 10th goal in this qualifying series and cemented his status as a key figure for the Eagles.
Not to be outdone, super substitute Samuel Chukwueze found the back of the net just 10 minutes after entering the field, extending Nigeria’s lead to an astonishing 6-0.
This confident performance saw Nigeria comfortably lead Group A with 15 points and qualify for AFCON with an impressive record of 5 wins from 6 matches.
