The Super Eagles of Nigeria celebrated their qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win against Benin Republic at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday.
Paul Onuachu scored the only goal of the game in the 92nd minute as he powered in a header into the back of the net after a scramble in the Benin goal area.
The goal came after Victor Osimhen’s shot from a corner kick was scuffed by the goalkeeper and after a bit of air tangle, the ball came towards the path of the Genk striker, who headed it past the Benin goalkeeper.
It is the second Super Eagles’ goal for Onuachu, who was left out of the original 23-man list for the game by coach Gernot Rohr and was only called up after Almeria FC of Spain withheld Sadiq Umar from travelling due to COVID-19 concerns.
The result means that Nigeria becomes the first team to defeat Benin Republic at their home ground in eight years, as the Squirrels were last inflicted a home defeat in 2013.
The Super Eagles, who had qualified for 2021 AFCON before even kicking a ball on Saturday (today), will now surely finish the competition’s qualifying series as Group L winners.
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