Victor Osimhen Scores Brace As Nigeria Revive World Cup Hopes With Win in Rwanda
- The Super Eagles of Nigeria have beaten Rwanda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match
- Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen scored twice to help Nigeria secure a vital three points in Kigali
- Eric Chelle recorded his first win as Super Eagles boss to boost Nigeria's 2026 World Cup hopes
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria have beaten Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali to boost their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier’ hopes thanks to Victor Osimhen’s goals.
Nigeria came into the match knowing any result other than a win would be detrimental to their World Cup hopes as they are in a bad spot on the qualifying table.
Source: Twitter
The Super Eagles before the match were fifth on the log with three points from the opening four games and risk missing out on consecutive FIFA World Cups.
Eric Chelle stuck to the basics and named a lineup most Nigerians were familiar with even though he tried to implement his style of play with the formation.
Nigeria boost World Cup hopes
There were huge expectations on the players and they did not disappoint as they brushed aside the Amavubi despite the roaring support from the 45,00-capacity Amahoro Stadium.
Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 11th minute, evading the Rwandan defence and smashing the ball home from a well-placed Ademola Lookman’s free kick.
The Galatasaray forward doubled Nigeria's lead with his second goal of the match in the third minute of the additional time to put Nigeria in the driver's seat.
He was sent through into a counter-attack by former U17 teammate Samuel Chukwueze. Osimhen took it all on his own and calmly chipped the ball over Fiacre Ntwari, to lead 2-0 at halftime.
The Eagles continued to keep things tidy and one scary moment early in the second half was when Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi escaped a red card with a bad foul.
The former African Footballer of the Year was substituted to rousing applause from travelling fans as he made way for Tolu Arokodare to make his debut in the 77th minute.
Nigeria contained the Amavubi for the rest of the game and left Kigali with a big win that boosted their chances of appearing at the Mundial in USA, Canada and Mexico.
After matchday five, South Africa who beat Lesotho moved clear at the top of the table with 10 points, Benin Republic have eight points, Rwanda seven, and Nigeria moved up to fourth with six points.
Next for the Super Eagles is a home game against Zimbabwe. To help the team climb further up the table they need South Africa and Benin to play a draw and Rwanda not to win against Lesotho.
Rwanda captain ‘disrespects’ Nigeria's attack
Legit.ng previously reported that Rwanda's captain Bizimana Djihad disrespected Nigeria's attack before the match claiming it was nothing to worry about.
The Super Eagles made him eat his words, as the attack combined well and was the brightest spot for the team as some departments struggled in adapting to Chelle's system.
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Source: Legit.ng
