Nigeria made things look pretty straightforward with a thumping 4-0 scoreline over Benin in their final Group C CAF World Cup Qualifying match at Uyo’s Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The Super Eagles, with coach Eric Chelle at the helm, more or less had a qualifying spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup sewn up after a dominating display by the team that included a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen and a last-minute long shot from Frank Onyeka.
Benin’s dreams of making it to the World Cup for the first time in their history were probably over after this, despite their strong campaign under the guidance of Gernot Rohr – they’d managed 17 points, but fell short on goal difference. Nigeria’s form looked pretty solid with 54% of the possession and 12 shots, which was enough to put them in the top four second placed teams in the group. South Africa, of course, took the top spot in the group with a rather modest 3-0 win over Rwanda.
The Goals
Things got off to a flying start for Nigeria in the 14th minute with Victor Osimhen scoring the first goal after Alex Iwobi picked him out with a great pass, and he slotted it past Benin keeper Marcel Dandjinou with all the style of the world. Osimhen doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 37th minute after Samuel Chukwueze put the perfect cross in and he pounced on it with a very sharp, very sweet shot. And then, to wrap things up – not literally, since there was still an hour to go – Osimhen popped up to head in a perfect cross from Moses Simon to grab his hat-trick in the 51st minute. And if all that wasn’t enough, Frank Onyeka really put the icing on the cake in the 90+1 minute, scoring a beauty of a goal after meeting Simon‘s cross with a lovely volley to make it 4-0.
Player of the Match
This one was a no-brainer really – Victor Osimhen had the night of his life, netting a hat-trick to end a two year wait for a World Cup qualifying treble. He was unstoppable really, scoring with finesse and even getting a few other chances to boot, and that’s probably why he was trending top on X trends in Nigeria alongside the score #NGABEN.
The Highlights of the Match
Nigeria started strong, and Osimhen‘s goal in the first 15 minutes set them up right from the get-go. Benin on the other hand struggled to keep up the pressure, and their defense – led by guys like Olivier Verdon and Cedric Hountondji – just couldn’t cope when Nigeria pushed hard. Stanley Nwabali kept a clean sheet, which was a big plus for the team – he saved a lone effort from Steve Mounie and everything clicked. Chukwueze and Simon were causing all sorts of problems for Benin on the wings, while Wilfred Ndidi did a great job anchoring the midfield for the Eagles.
Benin tried their best, of course – Hassane Imourane and Dodo Dokou pushed hard for a goal, but in the end Nigeria’s high press and 6 shots on target just proved too much for them to handle. There was a VAR-checked penalty appeal for Benin, which was waved off, and Osimhen came close to scoring a fourth right at the end with a last-gasp header. Coach Chelle was over the moon with the team’s focus, while Rohr admitted that Nigeria had just been too strong for Benin. And with that, the Super Eagles are off to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026, where they are hoping to make it to their 7th World Cup appearance.
