It was a totally dominant performance from the Super Eagles of Nigeria, and at the center of it all, Victor Osimhen was the showman.
Nigeria were carving them open long before the scoreboard reflected it. Ait-Nouri had to throw himself into a challenge to stop Osimhen in the area, Bensebaini hooked one off the line midway through the half, and when Adams found himself clean through in the 37th minute, he smashed over. You started to wonder if all that dominance would end up meaning nothing.
Halftime came, and the mindset of Algeria coming strong in the second half would have struck your mind, but that wasn’t so.
Victor Osimhen stole the show.
He scored the opener. a sublime header for Nigeria in the 47th minute, off a beautiful cross from Bruno Onyeamachi on the left.
In the 57th minute, he was unselfish to lay off a pass to Akor Adams, who beautifully rounded the goalkeeper to slot into the net and double Nigeria’s lead.
It was a totally dominant performance from the Nigerian team, and despite the Algerian team having the stadium filled up with an attendance of 32,000 plus, the Nigerian team did not show any glimpse of fear, as they booked their spot in the semi-final.
Here, Timothy Dehinbo breaks down the key points from this game.
Air Osimhen Flies Nigeria to Rabat
You can fight Osimhen’s character, but you cannot fight his talent and his goalscoring ability.
Nigeria’s talismanic striker began the week with uncomfortable questions swirling around him. His emotional volatility had once again dragged him into the spotlight after a needless on-pitch confrontation with teammate Demola.
By the end of the week, Victor Osimhen had answered everything the only way he truly knew how.
In the quarter-final, the 27-year-old rose above it all, with a stunning leap, powering in a crucial header to break the deadlock, before turning provider for Nigeria’s second goal.
Osimhen now sits just two goals away from Rashidi Yekini’s all-time Nigeria record of 37, and on the back of another decisive display, Air Osimhen has flown Nigeria straight into Rabat for a heavyweight semi-final showdown with tournament hosts Morocco.
With Every Performance, Alex Iwobi’s Stock Continues to Rise
Alex Iwobi’s ability to play the pass before the pass has become a big hack for Nigeria at this tournament.
In the 25th minute, Iwobi slipped a clever pass through to Ademola Lookman on the right. The Atalanta forward immediately set up Osimhen, who looked ready to fire, but Rayan Ait-Nouri got there just in time. The Manchester City full-back’s sliding tackle was sharp and well-timed, stopping Osimhen without giving away a penalty.
In the build-up to Akor Adams’ goal, Nigeria’s second, Iwobi did his usual pre-assist to find Victor Osimhen, before Osimhen brilliantly found Akor Adams, who put the ball in the back of the net.
If we’re being honest, the best player at this tournament has been Alex Iwobi. Yes, Ademola Lookman and Brahim Diaz obviously put them in the high rank, but Iwobi has been on a level nobody else has hit in this tournament.
Iwobi’s stock has always been high, but with every performance, it goes up further.
Bright Osayi Samuel is a Bright Star
Speaking at the mixed zone in training yesterday, Bright Osayi Samuel talked confidently, saying Nigeria will win tomorrow.
And if there was any reason to think of why he was so confident, he probably had Algeria so much in mind, and he proved it today.
Osayi was so dominant in moving the ball forward. When he got the ball on the right side, he controlled it so well and was always bursting forward to get into good spaces for Nigeria.
Whatever Fares Chaibi and Ait-Nouri had in mind on the wing, none of it was interesting to Osayi. He won so many one-on-one tackles; in fact, when it looked threatening in some instances, he got better on every attempt to get past him.
Osayi was relentless in everything he did tonight.
He could have easily been the man of the match for this game.
Goodbye Mahrez?? His AFCON Brilliance Will Not Be Forgotten
Mahrez told Elegbete TV Sports at yesterday’s press conference that he thinks this would be his last AFCON, and he would really want to win the Africa Cup of Nations with this generation of players.
Unfortunately, he can’t win this one, the 2025 AFCON, and this seems to be the end of the journey for Mahrez in this competition.
Mahrez played 21 games for Algeria across the AFCON, and with this being his last game, he bows as one of the best players in tournament history.
Mahrez first played in 2015, lost out in the quarter-final, and lost out in the group stage in 2017. The most remarkable one for him was 2019, when Algeria won in Egypt.
He captained them to win that tournament, scoring three goals, with the most crucial the one in the semi-final against Nigeria in the 90+5th minute.
Riyad Mahrez’s AFCON journey ended in heartbreak, but his legacy as one of Algeria’s modern greats is unquestionable.
Up Next for Nigeria
Nigeria play Morocco in Rabat at 9 pm WAT, Wednesday, January 14th.
