Yesterday, in Rabat, Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 in extra time to secure their spot in the CAF playoff final. They will now face the victor of the match between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an intercontinental playoff.
According to Vanguard News, the Super Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the 78th minute when Akor Adams scored off of a bad back ball. The game had barely ended when Adams scored.
After a tight 1-1 tie at halftime, Gabon answered in the 89th minute with a deflected strike by Mario Lemina, sending the game into overtime.
In extra time, Nigeria proved they were the better team. After being set up by Wilfred Ndidi, Chidera Ejuke scored clinically in the 97th minute to put the team back in the lead.
Then, in the first half of extra time, Victor Osimhen scored twice, taking center stage. His two goals—one in the 110th minute to put the game away and another in the 102nd minute—made it 3-1 and 4-1, respectively.
To keep possession, Nigeria made a number of smart substitutes, such as Onyeka for Adams in the 83rd minute and Awaziem and Ekong for the 108th and 109th minutes, respectively.
Even after making a slew of substitutions, Gabon was unable to crack Nigeria’s tenacious defense.
The Super Eagles will now await the outcome of the match between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to determine their fate in the World Cup intercontinental playoff.
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