The Super Eagles beat Gabon 4-1 on Thursday to book a place in the playoffs final.
The Super Eagles began dominating the game early and had chances but failed to make the best of them. Akor Adams pounced on a loose ball in the 4th minute but failed to beat Mbaba in goal for the Panthers.
Victor Osimhen was lively and almost got the opening goal in the 21st minute but his effort was saved by Mbaba. The striker rose highest in the box and got his head on Iwobi’s flick but the Gabonese goalkeeper was on alert to deny him a goal.
Osimhen missed a shot two minutes later after receiving a through pass by Lookman. The Eagles had two protests for possible penalties in the first half but they were not successful.
In the second half, Gabon came out to play and had a good share of the possession. Gabon thought they had gotten a penalty but their appeal failed after a lengthy VAR review.
Akor Adams broke the deadlock in the 78th minute he pounced on the ball intended for Mbaba and dribbled past the goalkeeper before slotting into an empty net.
Gabon got the equalizer in the 89th minute through Lemina to give the Gabonese a fighting chance. Victor Osimhen missed a one-on-one chance in the 12th minute of additional time.
Chidera Ejuke scored in the 97th minute after connecting to Wilfred Ndidi’s fine pass. Victor Osimhen scored in the 102nd minute after a quick counter attack from Nigeria. Osimhen sealed victory for Nigeria when he got Awaziem’s freekick and bulldozed his way into the Gabonese box to slot past Mbaba.
The Super Eagles will wait for the winner between Cameroon and DR Congo to determine who they will play in Sunday’s final.
