One point is all Nigeria‘s Super Eagles need from two fixtures in this final qualifying window for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, to book their place in Morocco next year.
Unless the unimaginably catastrophic happens, it is tough to see them not getting that point, at the very minimum, and then switching their focus to other tactics and achievements.
If they secure the draw they need in the first leg against Benin, coach Austin Eguavoen could choose to rest his regulars and go with a completely different lineup in the final game against Rwanda.
The signs look promising. Under Eguavoen’s tutelage, the Super Eagles are yet to lose a game in this qualifying series, and if that trend holds, they can expect to hold Benin Republic to a point in Thursday’s game in Abidjan, at the very least.
Osimhen chasing a goalscoring record
Since making his debut in the summer of 2017, striker Victor Osimhen has zipped his way up the Nigeria all time scorers’ chart, streaking all the way to sit at third after overtaking Yakubu Ayegbeni with his goal against Benin in September.
That list is led by the legendary Rashidi Yekini, whose 37 goals have stood unchallenged since he retired in 1998 after the FIFA World Cup. Yekini’s tally is 14 ahead of another legend, former captain Segun Odegbami, who won the Nations Cup with Nigeria in 1980.
The Super Eagles tend to score goals when Osimhen is on the pitch. With his 22 goals and 11 assists, he has the highest goals contribution of any player in the team so far.
Osimhen is now currently just one goal behind Odegbami, and if he can help himself to two goals this window, he will be second-highest goalscorer in Nigeria football history.
That would be a remarkable accomplishment for the 23 year old, who last year, also became the first Nigerian to win the CAF African Player of the year award in a quarter of a century.
What is even more incredible is that Osimhen has reached the position playing less games (36) than almost all the other strikers, bar Yekini, so far. Odegbami’s 23 goals came in 46 games, Yakubu’s 21 came in 57 games, Ike Uche 19 came in 46 games and Obafemi Martins hit 18 in 48 games.
Only Yekini has a better goals to games ratio (0.63) than Osimhen (0.61). And if the Fenerbahce forward continues his current trajectory, he could be on pace to hit Yekini’s record by the time he hits 60 games.
Can Eguavoen get through the qualifiers unbeaten?
On the sidelines, Eguavoen will be looking at a record of his own. It would be the first time he will start and complete a qualifying series. During his previous stints, he either took over from the likes of Christian Chukwu, or started the series and saw it completed by a different coach, like Samson Siasia.
So far, he has maintained an unblemished record, with just one draw from four games. Finishing the series unbeaten would add an extra feather to his already impressive Super Eagles coaching cap, and is one that Eguavoen will no doubt be angling for.
“Nigeria is a country you don’t toy with,” said the coach. “We respect our opponents. But the mindset when we come into games is to win. We know that is easier said than done. We fight for every ball, we fight for every point and that is what we want to do.”
Not only would that improve the former defender’s coaching chops, it would also all but confirm him to keep his position for the remainder of the World Cup qualifiers, which resume in 2025.
NFF sources tell ESPN the cash-strapped federation are unwilling to make any decision on what would be an expensive investment in a permanent appointment while Eguavoen is churning out results for the team.
Former boss Rohr stands in the way
One hurdle Eguavoen will need to get over is the man in the opposite dugout. Benin coach Gernot Rohr’s last job was with Nigeria, where he ended up being the longest-serving Super Eagles coach of all time.
The bulk of the players in the current squad played under him, and he has close knowledge of their styles, strengths and weaknesses.
Eguavoen has already got the better of Rohr when the sides met in September, but even he understands that Rohr is not a coach to be taken lightly, especially after he masterminded that World Cup qualifying defeat of the Super Eagles that cost Finidi George his job.
“We worked with Gernot Rohr for so many years,” Eguavoen said. “He was our head coach, a very good coach. He knows us, in and out. He is part of us and we know him also inside out. We know what he is capable of.
“In respect to that, Benin is not a pushover, but we will work hard to make sure that we achieve our objective.”
His captain, William Troost-Ekong agreed, but hopes that playing in the stadium where they played the AFCON Final against Côte d’Ivoire earlier in the year will work to the Super Eagles’ advantage.
Troost-Ekong told ESPN: “We know Benin is a good team. Gernot Rohr has been my coach in the national team previously for over five years. So he knows the team very well.
“I played against Benin several times, it’s always been a very difficult game. But I think here, especially in this stadium where we had some amazing memories especially earlier this year, we’ll be very ready.”
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