Nigeria met with Gabon in the semifinal of the CAF World Cup qualifying playoff on the cool evening of 13th November. After 90 minutes plus extra time, the heated match ended with a 4-1 victory for Nigeria, which automatically secured their place in the playoff final.
Softfootball earlier predicted in their pre match analysis that Nigeria would show a great deal of strength and eventually win against Gabon.
The first 45 minutes was quite tight; Wilfred Ndidi was given a yellow in the 6th minute for a careless tackle. Pierre-Emerick from Gabon had his chances ruled offside in the 44th minute. The first half ended with 0-0.
Nigeria took possession of the game in the second half and had their breakthrough in the 78th minute with Akor Adams scoring the first goal which made it 1-0.
In the 89th minute Mario Lemina equalized which brought the game to a 1-1 draw before the extra time. During the extra time, Nigeria grabbed the reigns and fired nonstop. Chidera Ejuke scored in the 98th minute which placed Nigeria ahead with 2-1.
Victor Osimhen, who is known to be one of the best goal scorers in today’s world swiftly took over and scored his first goal in the 102nd minute.
He didn’t stop there as he immediately followed up with another goal in the 103rd minute and sealed his hat-trick, at the same time, ensuring a composed 4-1 game finish.
This performance will surely boost confidence within the squad and among fans, as Nigeria continue their chase for glory. On the side of Gabon, they will look back on the match as a lesson in resilience and an experience to build on for future tournaments.
FIFA posted on their official X handle celebrating Nigeria’s step toward the 2026 World Cup Play‑Off Tournament.
