Victor Osimhen explained how he quickly overcame a glaring late miss and produced two extra-time goals that powered Nigeria past Gabon 4–1.
Nigeria delivered a determined extra-time performance that kept their 2026 World Cup hopes alive at the Moulay Hassan Stadium on Thursday night.
The scoreline looked comfortable, but the contest produced huge drama that forced the Super Eagles to dig deep and respond with renewed intensity.
Gabon pushed hard after the break and nearly won a penalty before VAR overturned a call for an Osayi-Samuel shirt pull on Aaron Appindangoye. Nigeria used that moment as motivation and increased their urgency across every area of the pitch to regain control.
Akor Adams punished a defensive mistake by Appindangoye with a sharp finish that gave Nigeria a 1–0 lead with twelve minutes remaining.
Gabon equalised late as Mario Lemina’s strike deflected off a defender and beat Stanley Nwabali, forcing a tense period of extra time in Rabat.
Osimhen then missed two clear chances to seal the match, including a major one-on-one opportunity in the twelfth minute of stoppage time. He admitted that the miss hurt deeply but insisted he refused to allow frustration to control his thinking or influence his response.
“I was gutted,” Osimhen said. “I apologised to my team-mates and promised them I would correct the mistake in extra time immediately.”
Chidera Ejuke restored Nigeria’s lead with a composed finish that brought renewed confidence and opened spaces behind Gabon’s stretched defensive line.
Osimhen attacked both openings with conviction and scored two clinical goals that secured a decisive 4–1 victory for the Super Eagles.
His second goal celebration earned a yellow card for removing his shirt, but the striker accepted it calmly because the mission was already complete.
He emphasised that mental strength helped him recover instantly from the major miss that nearly cost Nigeria the win.
“As a striker, I must keep moving,” he said. “If I dwell on mistakes, I lose sharpness. I stayed positive and delivered.”
Osimhen also ignored repeated laser distractions from the stands and insisted such actions would never disrupt his focus or composure on the pitch.
Nigeria will now face DR Congo in the play-off final, with Osimhen’s resilience expected to play a crucial role once again.
