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Nigeria took a decisive step toward the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday night, delivering a composed, confident and ultimately commanding 4–1 extra-time victory over Gabon in Rabat, Footynaija.com reports.
The result sends Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles into Sunday’s CAF play-off final against DR Congo, just two days after a physically demanding contest that demanded patience and personality.
Head coach Eric Chelle praised his squad’s commitment and character after watching Nigeria overturn a tense match with a late surge of quality.
Goals from Akor Adams, Chidera Ejuke and a decisive Victor Osimhen brace capped a dominant performance, but the Malian manager insisted his players must stay grounded.
“I’m very proud of these guys because every time, they stay focused on what I ask and what I want — and they show it on the pitch,” Chelle said at the post-match conference as made available to footynaija.com.
“Once again, the word for today was passion. During the team talk, it was about passion, working together, and having the same mindset. They did it.
“But the reality is that this is nothing yet, because in two days we have another game. Maybe after the second game, we will go home with a smile.”
Chelle acknowledged the progress Nigeria have made since his arrival and emphasised the importance of building a recognisable structure.
“I don’t want to talk about what happened before. Since I came, we’ve tried to work and create an identity… The most important thing for a team is to create an identity: how you play in defence and how you play in attack.”
He admitted international windows offer limited training time, but welcomed his players’ growing grasp of his philosophy.
“Many times, you only get two or three training sessions… Now, this group, these guys, they’ve improved mentally, technically, and they understand what I want to do with them.”
Nigeria now turn to Sunday’s showdown with DR Congo, who stunned Cameroon with a stoppage-time winner.
The Super Eagles will miss Wilfred Ndidi due to suspension, while Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Stanley Nwabali, Frank Onyeka and Amas Obasogie sit one booking away from missing the inter-confederation playoff should Nigeria advance.
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