Anita Ogona
Victor Osimhen returned from the football wilderness to help the Super Eagles of Nigeria beat the Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, September 7, 2024.
Recall that Victor Osimhen was the last player to arrive in the Super Eagles camp due to his transfer tussle in Europe. He was almost stuck at Napoli this summer even though he had made it clear that he wanted to leave the club.
After failing to secure a move to Premier League club Chelsea and Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli due to disagreement in the financial aspect of the deal, he joined Turkish side Galatasaray on loan.
Following the completion of the loan deal, Osimhen joined the Super Eagles camp for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic, two days before the game. As expected, coach Augustine Eguavoen decided to start him from the bench in favor of Victor Boniface.
In his absence, Ademola Lookman came to the rescue of Nigeria as he gave the Super Eagles the lead in the additional minutes of the first half.
Nigeria went into the break with the slim win and held on to it until after the hour mark when coach Eguavoen brought on Victor Osimhen for Boniface to a loud cheer from the spectators.
His arrival on the pitch changed the pace of the game, and he got his goal in the 78th minute, 6 minutes after his introduction into the game, thanks to an assist from Wilfred Ndidi.
Afterward, Osimhen failed to convert on one goalscoring opportunity, which could have earned him a historic hat-trick on his return to the national team. Recall that the first time Osimhen played for Nigeria was during the 2023 AFCON final in February 2024.
Lookman made it 3-0 in the 83rd of the clash with Benin Republic and earned Nigeria a win in their first game of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Super Eagles’ win over the cheetahs came less than three months after Gernot Rohr’s team beat Nigeria 2-1 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s next AFCON qualifiers is away against Rwanda on September 10.
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