Rwanda vs Nigeria: Victor Osimhen Scores Brace As Nigeria Take the Lead in Kigali

• Victor Osimhen has opened the scoring for the Super Eagles of Nigeria against Rwanda in Kigali
• The Galatasaray loan forward scores the first goal of the Eric Chelle era in a crucial qualifier match
• Nigeria need to hold on or score more goals to take all three points to get off to a winning start

Victor Osimhen has opened the scoring for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Rwanda in Kigali.

Osimhen returned to the national team for the first time since November and it was his first match for the Super Eagles in the ongoing World Cup qualifier.

He has missed the previous four games due to injuries in November 2023 under Jose Peseiro and June 2024 under former player Finidi George, which led to rancour.

Osimhen scores against Rwanda

There were high hopes for Osimhen, who has been in great form for Galatasaray this season and he did not disappoint by drawing the first blood against Rwanda.

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The goal is the first goal for the Super Eagles under Eric Chelle as the former Malian international begins a huge task of turning around Nigeria's qualifying campaign.

Ademola Lookman served the ball on a platter for Osimhen via a free kick and the Galatasaray forward made no mistake in smashing the ball home past Fiacre Ntwari.

The Napoli-owned forward doubled Nigeria’s lead in the additional minutes of the first half with his second goal of the match, to help Nigeria to a 2-0 lead at halftime.

He was released into a counter-attack by Samuel Chuakwueze and he calmly chipped the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper. He continued to be a threat to the Rwandan defence in the second half.

He came off to rousing applause from the travelling fans in the 77th minute and was replaced by the in-form Genk forward Tolu Arokodare, who came on for his Super Eagles debut.

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Osimhen's performance in Kigali highlights why many top European clubs are after his signature as he is expected to leave Napoli permanently this summer.

Top Premier League clubs Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are among his suitors and he will certainly have a busy summer in choosing his next destination.

His current club Galatasaray where he is on loan are also interested in signing him permanently and have confirmed their readiness to trigger his €75 million release clause.

However, he is unlikely to continue with the Istanbul-based club after setting two conditions for the club including a 2.5 times increase in his current salary, according to multiple reports in the Turkish media.

Rwanda captain ‘disrespects’ Nigeria's attack

Legit.ng previously reported that Rwanda's captain Bizimana Djihad disrespected Nigeria's attack during his pre-match conference ahead of today's crucial tie.

Bizimana admitted that the Super Eagles have one of the best attacks in Africa, but it is nothing to worry about for the Amavubi as they have contained them before.

Source: Legit.ng