The Super Eagles cruised into the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in style after putting four unreplied goals past their round of 16 opponents Mozambique at the Fes Sporting Complex, Footynaija.com reports.
Talismanic striker Victor Osimhen grabbed a brace in-between goals from fellow forwards Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams to end the Mambas’ historic run in the tournament.
After a highly entertaining performance by the Super Eagles, here are five talking points from the game.
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Eric Chelle’s tactical masterclass
Heading into the clash, there was plenty of speculation about how Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle might decide to set up his team, having deployed both the 4-4-2 diamond and the 4-3-3 in the group stage.
Chelle ultimately opted for the latter with Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi marshalling the middle of the park. This selection by the Franco-Malian tactician allowed Nigeria to control the game and set the tone for an utterly dominant display.
Alex Iwobi’s creativity shines through
Another fruit of Chelle’s tactical decisions for this game was Alex Iwobi’s starring performance in midfield. Many have questioned his use as a deep-lying playmaker in the Super Eagles setup but the Fulham man fully justified his manager’s trust tonight.
Iwobi was at the center of everything good for the Super Eagles out there in Fes, with three sublime line-breaking passes from deep in the middle of the park to kickstart the attacking sequences that led to the first three goals.
Super Eagles’ ruthless front line
The Super Eagles have been in rampant goal-scoring form since the start of this tournament and it was another night of ruthless efficiency by the front trio as Osimhen, Lookman and Adams all got their respective names on the score sheet in Fes.
Chelle’s men were the highest scoring team in the group stage with eight goals from three games. As things currently stand, they now have twelve from four games, making them the tournament’s highest scorers at the moment.
A clean sheet at last
For all of their attacking prowess, one area where the Super Eagles have struggled is in their defensive third. But after conceding in all of their group stage matches, Chelle’s men recorded their first clean sheet of the tournament.
This will certainly come as a major confidence booster for the center back pairing of Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi as Nigeria prepare to test themselves against even sterner opposition in the later stages of this tournament.
A statement win for the Super Eagles
With this dominant win over Mozambique, Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles became the first Nigerian team to win all of their first four games at an Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The three-time African champions also became the first team to score four goals in a single game at this year’s tournament. They certainly have the look of a team ready to go all the way for that fourth continental triumph.
