As the Super Eagles take to the pitch at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday, they will recall their unbeaten record against the Lions in Rabat.
If Victor Osimhen scores two goals against the Atlas Lions on Wednesday, he will equal Nigeria’s legendary ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini in total goals for the national team at the senior level.
The only encounter between Nigeria and Morocco’s senior national team in Morocco’s capital, Rabat, saw Nigeria hold their ground to achieve a goalless draw, win the subsequent penalty shoot-out, and secure a spot in the 14th Africa Cup of Nations finals in Côte d’Ivoire.
This match took place on Saturday, August 28, 1983. Just two weeks prior, the first leg in Benin City also ended in a 0-0 draw.
The return match in Rabat featured Coach Adegboye Onigbinde making several changes to the lineup from the first match.
Goalkeeper Peter Rufai replaced Wilfred Agbonavbare, while Kingsley Paul, Amos Edoseghe, Anthony Edward, Wole Odegbami, and Sunday Daniel came in for Charles Osuji, Henry Nwosu, Rafiu Yusuf, Dehinde Akinlotan, and Tarila Okorowanta.
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Coach José ‘Mehdi’ Faria, the Brazilian coach of the Atlas Lions, kept his usual squad intact, including goalkeeper Badou Ezzaki and players like Mustapha El Haddaoui, Abdelaziz Bouderbala, and Mohamed Timoumi.
The match was fiercely contested and ended 0-0, leading to a penalty shoot-out.
Nigeria triumphed 4-3 in the shoot-out to qualify for the AFCON finals in Côte d’Ivoire, where they finished as runners-up.
The Galatasaray forward Osimhen has netted 35 goals in 51 appearances, while Yekini scored 37 times in 58 matches.
At just 27 years old and in his prime, Osimhen is expected to surpass Yekini’s record, which was set before Osimhen made his international debut.
Osimhen first gained international attention in 2015 when he was the top scorer (with 10 goals) and the second most valuable player at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which Nigeria won in Chile.
On Wednesday night, history awaits the former Napoli forward as he competes for 90 minutes, with support from teammates Alex Iwobi, Akor Adams, and Ademola Lookman, providing him the chance to match Yekini’s goal tally.
Iwobi, who has been outstanding in this AFCON, is set to earn his 96th cap, bringing him closer to the century mark held by former captain Joseph Yobo and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, both of whom reached 101 caps. Ahmed Musa holds the record with 111 caps.
Franco-Malian coach Éric Sékou Chelle will enter the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium with a spring in his step, as he has not lost a competitive match in regulation time since he took charge of Nigeria’s ‘A’ team a year ago.
Chelle has achieved an impressive record of 11 wins in 17 matches with the Super Eagles, along with five draws, and has only suffered one loss in regulation time to the Egyptian national team when Nigeria fielded a weakened squad in a friendly in Cairo on December 16.
