Osimhen Scores Brace in Extra Time to Revive Nigeria's World Cup Ambitions

Victor Osimhen, the star forward, netted twice during extra time to secure a 4-1 win for Nigeria against Gabon on Thursday in the African qualifying semi-final for the 2026 World Cup held in Rabat.

Osimhen missed a golden opportunity to seal the game at the end of normal time by shooting wide with just goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba left to face.

However, the 2023 African Player of the Year made up for it on the 102nd minute, blasting the ball across Loyce Mbaba into the far corner following a setup from Benjamin Fredrick.

He added another on the 110th minute, taming a long ball before firing past Mbaba into the far corner yet again.

Following an 89th-minute leveller conceded in regular play, Nigeria took the lead back when substitute Chidera Ejuke netted his debut goal for the Super Eagles on the 97th minute.

Akor Adams had opened the scoring for Nigeria on the 78th minute, and Mario Lemina equalised after 89 minutes in the Moroccan city.

Nigeria will face either Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose match starts at 1900 GMT, in the African decider on Sunday, with a spot in the six-team inter-continental play-offs set for next March on the line.

The victors of the two finals in this competition will earn direct qualification to the World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Bolivia and New Caledonia have already locked in their places.

Nigeria pulled off a tactical shock before kick-off by benching usual captain and central defender William Troost-Ekong, with Besiktas midfielder Wilfred Ndidi taking the armband.

Another replacement was Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka, who scored a late goal in a 4-0 group stage triumph over Benin last month, helping Nigeria edge out Burkina Faso for a play-off berth.

Nigeria dominated the middle of the first half, with Osimhen nearly scoring three times to end the stalemate.

The 26-year-old Galatasaray forward nodded wide on two occasions, then saw a handball claim rejected after a VAR examination.

Another VAR intervention came around the hour mark when Nigeria defender Bright Osayi-Samuel tugged the shirt of Aaron Appindangoye in the penalty area, preventing the player from reaching a free-kick.

After a prolonged check, Gabon's penalty shouts were dismissed by South African official Abongile Tom.

The intense contest's impasse was broken when Sevilla winger Adams stole a loose Gabon pass, evaded goalkeeper Mbaba, and slotted home.

The Gabon equaliser carried a touch of fortune as Nigeria keeper Stanley Nwabali seemed poised to stop Lemina's effort until a deflection sent it trickling into the net's corner.

Extra time then saw three strikes from Ejuke and Osimhen, sustaining Nigeria's bid for a seventh World Cup outing.