Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen scored his first international hattrick in two years to drag the Super Eagles of Nigeria to a 4-0 win over Benin in their final Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria welcomed Benin to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in their final game of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday.
Super Eagles XI vs Benin: Adams and Ajayi start, Arokodare out in decisive 2026 WCQ #NGABEN pic.twitter.com/0iCqckGo81
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Going into the fixture, the Super Eagles did not have their fate in their hands, as they needed to defeat Benin and hope that South Africa drop points against Rwanda in Mbombela. Otherwise, they would need to score three goals at least to be in a decent position to make the playoffs.
Benin looked quite good from the blast of the whistle and looked like they could really match Nigeria, but it took three minutes for them to fall behind.
Samuel Chukwueze linked up well with Osimhen, feeding the big striker with a fine pass into the box. Osimhen took no prisoners, as he smashed the ball into the net from close range to make it 1-0.
After going a goal down, Benin got into the game, but they failed to create any meaningful opportunity. Nigeria had their moments, but they had to wait until the 37th minute to score a second, and it was that telepathic connection with Chukwueze that paid off again.
Chukwueze, despite being marked by a player by the corner flag, swung a teasing cross towards the back post. Osimhen took no prisoners, as he out-jumped his marker and planted a fine header into the net to make it 2-0. They eventually took that lead into the break.
Benin started the second half pretty well and had an opportunity for Andreas Hountondji, which Stanley Nwabali saved.
However, their momentum was broken in the 51st minute, as Nigeria scored again. This time, it was a beauty from Osimhen.
The 26-year-old hitman contorted his body to meet a cross from Moses Simon, and sent a fine header, which hit the upright and danced into the post, to make it 3-0.
That goal completed Osimhen’s hattrick, his first for the Super Eagles since a 6-0 spanking of Sao Tome and Principe in September 2023.
Victor Osimhen @victorosimhen9 For A Reason . pic.twitter.com/Tfdi59nuoj
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Benin coach Gernot Rohr introduced Junior Olaitan into the game in the 56th minute, and that made them look a bit more dangerous. But they failed to score.
In the final quarter of the game, the Super Eagles players started to tire out, and coach Eric Chelle decided to sub in Bruno Onyemaechi and Frank Onyeka as replacements for Zaidu Sanusi and Akor Adams.
Tolu Arokodare also replaced Osimhen, while Terem Moffi took Alex Iwobi’s place.
The Super Eagles eventually made it four in the first minute of stoppage time, as Onyeka latched onto a pass from Moses Simon in the box and smashed a well-drilled shot into the bottom-left corner to make it 4-0.
It ended that way at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. But the big victory was not enough for Nigeria to clinch a World Cup ticket, as South Africa thrashed Rwanda 3-0 in the second Group C fixture to confirm their spot at the World Cup next year.
Super Eagles Make FIFA World Cup Playoffs
Following their 4-0 win, the Super Eagles will now play in the four-nation FIFA World Cup playoffs scheduled to begin in November.
Asided from Nigeria, Cameroon and Gabon have sealed qualification for the playoffs. Burkina Faso are the fourth team there, but they can be thrown out by DR Congo, who have an outstanding home game against Sudan.