Nigeria's Super Eagles kicked off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign in style with a dominant 3-0 victory over Benin at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Saturday.
Ademola Lookman scored one in the first half and then added another in-between substitute Victor Osimhen's goal in the second half to earn the hosts an emphatic victory over the visitors.
This was a significant result, especially considering the last time these two sides met in June, Benin secured a 2-1 win in Abidjan with Finidi George in the Nigeria dugout
Super Eagles ‘mindset' thrills Eguavoen
Interim coach Austin Eguavoen was pleased with his team's performance, attributing the impressive result to the players' understanding of what was at stake.
Reflecting on the match, he said, “Football has three outcomes—you win, lose, or draw. But I won’t say the former crew wasn’t doing a good job. It has to do with belief, knowing what’s at stake, and what you want to achieve.
“Psychologically, we knew as a group where we wanted to be, and we went into the game with that mindset.
“We knew we had to take responsibility today. I think with the attacking talent we have, we are going to create chances. Today was a good indication of the direction we want to go.”
The win was Nigeria's first in a competitive game since the AFCON final in February.
With this emphatic victory, the Super Eagles now look ahead to their next group game against Rwanda on 10 September, at the Amahoro Stadium, aiming to build on their momentum and strengthen their position in the qualifiers.
