The Super Eagles’ World Cup qualification got back on track Friday evening in Kigali after a 2-0 defeat of hosts, Rwanda.

Great thanks to Victor Osimhen whose brace in the first half earned Nigeria a first World Cup qualification win since 13 November 2021 when they beat Liberia 2-0 in Tangier, Morocco.  are facing a huge battle to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.

It was Osimhen’s first match in the World Cup qualifications series that has entered match-day 5.

Nigeria entered the match under serious pressure and sat precariously fifth in a log of six teams.

The fact that they had not won any match in the series and had also not beaten Rwanda in Rwanda also added to the pressure.

The 2-0  win and also the loss by Lesotho to South Africa has lifted the Super Eagles to the fourth position and a shouting distance to the three front-runners – South Africa, Benin and Rwanda.

Another win on Tuesday against bottom-placed Zimbabwe could lift them to the second position depending on the outcome of the duels of Rwanda versus  Lesotho and Benin – South Africa.

Chelle named a strong starting XI, featuring many players with Premier League experience.

Ola Aina lined up at left-back,  Alex Iwobi partnered Wilfred Ndidi in midfield and Calvin Bassey continued his partnership with captain, and former Watford star William Troost-Ekong in central defence.

Nigeria’s quest got on course from an Ademola Lookman’s free-kick.

 Osimhen peeled away to the back post, gambling on the delivery being inch-perfect, and made no mistake from close range to open his account in World Cup qualification.

Almost at the stroke of half-time, Osimhen doubled the lead as he pinched the ball ahead of his marker, and raced through before producing a lovely, dinked finish over Ntwari to leave the hosts with a huge mountain to climb in the second half.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

It has been 1,224 days since the Super Eagles last won a World Cup qualifying match.

Since Nigeria beat Liberia 2-0 on 13 November 2021 in a FIFA World Cup Group C qualifier for Qatar 2022 at the Stade Ibn Botouta, Tangiers in Morocco, the Super Eagles have not won any World Cup qualifying match.

Seven matches have passed since. That is the big burden the Super Eagles carry today as they seek to break barriers in their encounter with Rwanda.   

A win at the Amahoro Stadium will be their first in three at the stadium, and the first away defeat of Rwanda away from home.

 A win also marks their first since the 2026 World Cup qualifying series began. Above all, the Super Eagles will be on a recovery path in the World Cup campaign.

They have passed through difficulties in the past when it appeared that World Cup tickets had slipped off their claws. The dramatic turn-around changed the narratives.

Flashback to the World Cup 2002, the first and only one so far co-hosted. Defeats by Liberia in Monrovia and that of Sierra Leone in Freetown turned World Cup qualification into a Greek puzzle.

A George Weah-inspired Librera were coasting towards what would have been the country’s first World Cup appearance.

The Super Eagles picked up the challenge. Even, without their captain, Sunday Oliseh, the team made mincemeat of their hosts, Sudan, pummelling them 4-0 in Omdurman.

The win, also aided by Ghana beating Liberia in Monrovia put Nigeria back on track for an eventual qualification.

The current class of the Super Eagles could pick inspiration from that as they aim to qualify for the next co-hosted World Cup edition. A good result in the duel with Rwanda may change their current backwaters position.

Favourable results elsewhere can also back their efforts as happened in the qualification for the 2002 edition and later in the 2010 World Cup.

Until the last qualifying matches, the Super Eagles were trailing Tunisia. But the dramatic ending on Kenya-Nigeria and the Mozambique–Tunisia duels changed things in the Super Eagles’ favour.

Tunisia needed just a draw to scale the final qualification hurdle. Nigeria on the other hand needed an away win in Kenya and also a defeat of Tunisia by Mozambique to have an arithmetical chance of qualifying.

It happened. Nigeria came from behind to beat their hosts 3-2 while with just six minutes to regulation time, Tunisia conceded a goal against Mozambique and exited from World Cup qualification.

It happened before; it could happen again if the Super Eagles are determined.

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Mali secured a crucial 3-0 away victory over Comoros on Matchday 5 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Thursday night, reviving their hopes of qualification and shaking up Group I.

Goals from Nene Dorgeles and Kamory Doumbia in the Moroccan city of Berkane sealed the win for the Eagles, who now move up to fourth place with eight points—just two behind the group leaders, Madagascar. 

Comoros, who had topped the group before the match, now sit in third place with nine points.

Mali took control early and found the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Dorgeles latched onto a precise pass from captain Yves Bissouma and slotted home past goalkeeper Yannick Pandor.

The Coelacanths attempted to respond, with Faïz Selemani testing Malian goalkeeper Djigui Diarra from a long-range free kick, but the visitors remained solid at the back.

The second half saw Mali raise their intensity. In the 55th minute, El Bilal Touré provided a pinpoint cross into the box, which Kamory Doumbia calmly finished into an empty net.

Just eight minutes later, Doumbia struck again, converting a well-placed pass from Bissouma to complete his brace and put the game beyond Comoros.

The hosts struggled to find a way back, failing to create clear-cut chances as Mali saw out the game comfortably.

This defeat is a major setback for Comoros, who now risk losing further ground in the group.

Meanwhile, Mali’s win puts them back in contention for a World Cup spot, with three games remaining in the qualifiers.

Madagascar, currently on 10 points, remains at the top, but Ghana could overtake them with a win in their upcoming match against Chad.

Mali, with renewed confidence, will now prepare for their next crucial fixture as they aim to climb further up the table.

-CAF

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