Nigerian billionaire industrialist and philanthropist, Mr Abdul Samad Rabiu, has announced a generous financial reward for the Super Eagles following their impressive 2–0 victory over Algeria, which secured Nigeria a spot in the semi-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The win has reignited national enthusiasm, with the team widely praised for their composure, teamwork, and determination on the continental stage.
In a statement celebrating the victory, Mr Rabiu congratulated the players for lifting the spirit of the nation and reaffirmed his confidence in their ability to go further in the competition.
To motivate the squad ahead of the semi-finals, he pledged $500,000 to the players upon winning the semi-final match against Morocco, with an additional $50,000 for every goal scored.
If the Super Eagles advances to the final and clinch the AFCON title, Mr Rabiu has pledged a further $1 million, plus $100,000 for each goal scored in the final.
As the Nigerian team prepare for the semi-finals, the backing from Mr Rabiu adds to the growing sense of belief that the team can go all the way and restore AFCON glory to Nigeria, carrying the hopes of millions of fans across the country and the diaspora.
Nigeria produced a statement win against the Desert Foxes of Algeria on Saturday to power their way to the last four. The team faces the host nation, Morocco, next Wednesday.
Nigeria produced a stellar first half performance but failed to convert plenty of chances including Algerian defender forced a goal-line clearance in the 29th minute to deny Nigeria’s Calvin Bassey.
Nigerian attacker Akor Adams blasted another clear chance over the bar in the 37th minute of play.
However, Nigeria started the second half on a stronger foot with top striker Victor Osimhen producing a trademark leap in the to head the first goal past goalkeeper Lucas Zidane following a cross from Bruno Onyemaechi in the 47th minute.
The Nigerian gunman laid off the second goal for his counterpart Akor Adams to round the Algeria goalkeeper and slot home the second 10 minutes later, following a fine pass from Alex Iwobi.
Nigeria could have scored more, with Adams missing a late chance, but until the final whistle, it was a dominant performance from the Super Eagles.
Senegal defeated Mali by a lone goal on Friday and awaits the winner of the match between Egypt and Ivory Coast currently ongoing at the time of filing this report. Morocco put two past Cameroon yesterday.