Nigeria kept their World Cup hopes alive with a commanding 4-1 victory over Gabon after extra time, sealing a place in the final round of the African play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match in Rabat had ended 1-1 after ninety tense minutes before the Super Eagles pulled away with a clinical display that lifted the pressure surrounding their troubled campaign.
Chidera Ejuke broke the deadlock early in extra time, and Victor Osimhen followed with a spirited finish that sent the Nigerian supporters into full voice. Osimhen tore off his mask and shirt in celebration, a release that reflected the frustration of his missed chance deep into stoppage time at the end of regulation. He struck again shortly after the interval, widening the margin and placing Nigeria firmly in control.
Nigeria had looked on course for a straightforward win after Akor Adams punished a weak back-pass to put the side ahead in the seventy-eighth minute. The lead was wiped out eleven minutes later when Mario Lemina’s deflected strike brought Gabon level and forced the additional thirty minutes that ultimately changed the tone of the night.
The Super Eagles will now meet DR Congo on Sunday in the play-off final after the Leopards edged Cameroon 1-0 in the other semi-final. The winner will move on to a six-team intercontinental qualifier in March for one of the last two tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
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Nigeria’s long road back to the global stage has been marked by turbulence. The team missed the Qatar tournament and endured managerial upheaval, a tight qualification escape, and a dressing-room dispute over unpaid allowances that led to a brief training boycott this week. None of those troubles showed once the match began. Nigeria pressed from the first whistle in steady rain, with Adams denied early and Osimhen heading wide from close range. Gabon’s keeper, Loyce Mbaba, kept his side alive with sharp reactions as Nigeria turned up the pressure.
Gabon threatened on the break and felt they should have been awarded a penalty early in the second half when Bright Osayi-Samuel tangled with Aaron Appindangoye. After a long video review, the appeal was dismissed. The Panthers, led by Denis Bouanga and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, found little room to operate as twenty-year-old Benjamin Fredrick delivered a mature performance in central defence.
The win extends coach Eric Chelle’s unbeaten run since taking charge in January, a detail that carries new weight as Nigeria inches closer to a return to football’s biggest stage. The team now stands one match away from the next round of qualifiers, with momentum returning at a crucial moment in the campaign.
