Super Eagles kept their hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup alive after overcoming ‘stubborn’ Rwanda 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Saturday.
Victor Osimhen had the first shot on target in the 3rd minute, but there was no power on the ball to threaten the Rwanda goalkeeper.
The Galatasaray striker netted the opening goal with a simple tap-in for Nigeria in the 8th minute, only to be flagged offside by the assistant referee.
In the 15th minute, Wilfred Ndidi’s low drive shot goes off target, a big relief for Rwanda’s defence.
The Super Eagles, after an impressive ball possession, had the chance to break the deadlock in the 30th minute, but Moses Simon’s shot was blocked by Rwanda’s defence.
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It was a big blow for Nigeria after Osimhen was substituted in the 34th minute for Cyriel Dessers due to an injury he copped from a tackle from a Rwanda defender.
A decent long-range strike from Alex Iwobi in the 35th minute was well parried away by the Rwanda goalkeeper.
At the start of the second half, Tolu Arokodare came on to replace Frank Onyeka.
Arokodare wasted no time to announce himself on the pitch as he broke the deadlock in the 51st minute with a goal-line scissors kick, to the delight of the home supporters.
Simon almost doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 63rd minute, but his shot was blocked by the Rwanda goalkeeper, and the follow-up by Ademola Lookman failed to hit the target.
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A few minutes later, Ndidi’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper again as the Super Eagles charged for the second goal.
In the 75th minute a well taken free-kick from Simon was parried away by the Rwanda goalkeeper to still keep the scoreline at 1-0.
Nigeria made a double substitutions in the 87th minute as William Troost-Ekong and Osai-Samuel came on for Ola Aina and Dessers, respectively, as the Super Eagles sealed the maximum points to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
The result means Nigeria now sits third in Group C with 10 points from seven matches, behind South Africa (16 points) and Benin Republic (11 points).