The Super Eagles of Nigeria went route one in their round of 16 clash against Mozambique at the Complexe Sportif de Fès as they secured a 4-0 win, Soccernet.ng reports.
Eric Chelle’s men got off to a good start against Chiquinho Conde’s side, and it took just 20 minutes for the players in green and white to get ahead through a brilliant goal from Ademola Lookman, who tapped home from an Akor Adams cut-back.
Lookman turned provider five minutes later as his cross found Victor Osimhen at the back post, although slightly flicked on by Akor Adams again.
The Atalanta winger turned provider again for Osimhen’s third goal in the second half, tapping into an empty net at the backpost before Akor Adams added Nigeria’s fourth.
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Takeaways from Nigeria’s 4-0 win against Mozambique
1. Alex Iwobi, the metronome
Everything that went right with the Super Eagles today started with the Fulham midfielder. His pass split the Mozambican for three of Nigeria’s four goals.
While he didn’t get any assists to his name, his importance in the attacking sequence of Eric Chelle’s setup cannot be underplayed, and he showed once again why he’s close to a century of appearances for the three-time AFCON winners.
2. Lookman loves the AFCON tournament
After a summer that saw his move to Inter Milan denied by the Atalanta hierarchy, the 28-year-old struggled for form at his club side.
However, the AFCON 2025 has been a breath of fresh air for the former Everton man. Like in Ivory Coast two years ago, Lookman has been at the centre of everything that has gone right for the Super Eagles.
A goal and two assists tonight take his total tally at the AFCON finals to six goals and five assists in 10 games, signifying his importance in Nigeria’s attack.
He created six chances against Mozambique, the most of any player on the pitch, and is now a contender for the AFCON 2025 Player of the Tournament award, alongside Morocco’s Brahim Diaz. The pair were included in the Group Stage best eleven.
3. Victor Osimhen leads the line well, but should time his runs better
The Galatasaray forward scored a brace tonight, his third in Morocco, but could’ve easily added another two if he’d just timed his run properly to avoid being caught offside.
While his quality in front of goal cannot be questioned, Osimhen doesn’t exactly manage his emotions whenever he’s on the pitch.
Lashing out at teammates for not passing the ball is fine, but when it becomes a recurring issue, it could cause a crack in the team.
While the Nigerian players were celebrating after the game, he headed down the tunnel, and such behaviour should be addressed by Eric Chle.
4. Akor Adams is a decent option for Nigeria
Although largely an understudy to Victor Osimhen in Eric Chelle’s 4-4-2, the Sevilla striker, in the few minutes he was given to play alone up front after Osimhen was withdrawn, showed he’s man enough to lead the line when given the chance.
He thundered the ball into the roof of the Mozambique goal to score the Super Eagles’ fourth goal of the night before he was replaced by Paul Onuachu with four minutes left on the clock.
5. Nigeria’s first AFCON 2025 clean sheet
While the attackers will take the plaudits and make the headlines for tonight’s performance, Semi Ajayi and Calvin Bassey kept Nigeria locked in at the back.
As a result of their coordination on the pitch, Stanley Nwabali didn’t have a lot to do. The Chippa United didn’t make a single save; he didn’t have to.