Afrigather The Tremendous Eagles of Nigeria suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Rwanda of their last 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match.
The sport, held on the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, marked a historic second for Rwanda, who claimed their first-ever victory over Nigeria.
The primary half: A battle for management
Tremendous Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen made a number of modifications to his beginning lineup, choosing a brand new formation after the 1-1 draw in opposition to Benin Republic earlier within the week. Key gamers like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Ola Aina, and Wilfred Ndidi had been neglected, making method for recent faces comparable to Victor Boniface, Moses Simon, Brilliant Osayi-Samuel, and Raphael Onyedikachi.
Regardless of these modifications, the Tremendous Eagles struggled to seek out their rhythm within the first half. Rwanda’s Alhassan Yusuf gave the impression to be in every single place, inflicting issues for Nigeria’s protection. The Tremendous Eagles’ finest likelihood got here from Kelechi Iheanacho, however his shot was expertly saved by Rwanda’s goalkeeper.
The primary 45 minutes resulted in frustration for the hosts, with the gang ready for a breakthrough that by no means got here.
The Second Half: A short second of hope
Coach Eguavoen responded to his workforce’s lackluster efficiency by making a substitution at the beginning of the second half, bringing on Samuel Chukwueze for Iheanacho. Simply two minutes into the second half, Nigeria got here near taking the lead when Boniface’s header from a Moses Simon nook was saved by the Rwandan keeper.
Nevertheless, it was Chukwueze who would finally break the impasse. Across the 60-minute mark, the AC Milan winger took issues into his personal fingers. Chukwueze danced previous three defenders with a superb dribble and smashed the ball into the online, giving Nigeria a 1-0 lead.
It was a second of magic from Chukwueze, who scored his sixth worldwide objective and his first since Nigeria’s 6-0 victory over São Tomé and Príncipe in October 2023.
Rwanda’s beautiful comeback
Nigeria’s lead, nonetheless, was short-lived. Simply 12 minutes later, Rwanda equalized with a strong header from Mutsinzi, as Nigeria’s protection did not take care of a well-placed cross. The Tremendous Eagles had been nonetheless reeling from the equalizer when, within the seventy fifth minute, Rwanda accomplished their comeback.
A swift counterattack caught the Nigerian protection off-guard. Nshuti, the Rwandan striker, made a well-timed run and completed off an excellent cross from the left flank, giving Rwanda a 2-1 lead.
The Tremendous Eagles made modifications, bringing on Victor Osimhen and Umar Sadiq in a bid to seek out an equalizer. However regardless of their efforts, Nigeria couldn’t reply, and the match resulted in a surprising 2-1 loss for the three-time AFCON champions.
What you need to know
Whereas Rwanda celebrated their historic win, it wasn’t sufficient to safe a spot within the 2025 AFCON, as they completed behind Nigeria and Benin Republic within the qualifying group. Benin Republic, who drew 0-0 with Libya, joined Nigeria in securing qualification for the match in Morocco subsequent yr.
For Nigeria, this defeat marks a bitter finish to their qualifying marketing campaign. The Tremendous Eagles will now shift their focus to the World Cup qualifiers, the place they are going to meet Rwanda once more in Kigali in March 2025.
