Nigeria’s Super Eagles secured a 4-1 victory over Gabon after extra time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 African Qualifier playoff semi-final held at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat. The win propels Nigeria into the final playoff round, bringing them closer to a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
The opening 45 minutes saw Nigeria creating several opportunities. In the 17th minute, Victor Osimhen’s header from an Akor Adams cross narrowly missed the target. Four minutes later, Alex Iwobi’s cross found Osimhen, whose shot was saved by Gabon’s goalkeeper. A potential handball incident in the 28th minute was dismissed by the referee.
Nigeria finally broke the deadlock in the 78th minute when Akor Adams capitalized on a defensive error to slot home confidently. Gabon struck back in the 89th minute through Mario Lemina, whose deflected effort off Bright Osayi-Samuel beat Nwabali. Osimhen had a golden opportunity to seal the win in stoppage time but blasted his one-on-one effort wide, sending the tie into extra time.
Chidera Ejuke restored Nigeria’s lead in the 97th minute after connecting with a precise diagonal ball from Wilfred Ndidi. Five minutes later, Osimhen made amends for his earlier miss, latching onto a blistering run from Benjamin Fredrick to finish coolly for Nigeria’s third. He added his second of the night — and eighth of the qualifiers — in the 110th minute after dancing past Gabonese defenders and slotting the ball home to seal a memorable 4-1 win.
Nigeria now awaits the winner between Cameroon and DR Congo in the final playoff to determine who books a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.