Onuachu proves his worth, as Super Eagles subdue Squirrels at home

Genk striker, Paul Onuachu, proved his worth as Nigeria’s Super Eagles overpowered the hosts Benin Republic 1-0 in the AFCON qualifier to remain at the top of their group.

The lanky striker found the back of the net for Nigeria in the extra time of the keenly contested match.

Paul Onuachu came off the bench to grab a last-gasp winner for Nigeria as the Eagles extend their lead atop Group L by four points.

Get in!#BENNGA #AFCON2021Q pic.twitter.com/F9rLvLTT2m

— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) March 27, 2021

Nigeria had secured their place at Cameroon 2022 even before the game in Porto Novo started after Sierra Leone and Lesotho played out a goalless draw in the other group game.

27 goals for club.
1 goal for country.

Paul Onuachu is the HOTTEST striker in Europe this season… in our opinion 😉

📸 – @modovictorekene pic.twitter.com/HmTMX7BN9X

— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) March 27, 2021

Nigeria were the better side at the Charles de Gaulle Stadium in Porto Novo but a lack of cutting edge in the final third

Gernot Rohr left Alex Iwobi out of the starting eleven after the Everton midfielder tested positive for COVID-19, with team captain Ahmed Musa taking his place.

read also:Onuachu vows to break goal drought in AFCON qualifiers

Still, the Super Eagles dominated proceedings from kickoff and could have been three goals up in the opening ten minutes, but Osimhen and Iheanacho failed to capitalise on decent chances.

Osimhen had another opportunity to break the deadlock in the 24th minute, but the Napoli man could only direct his effort straight at the opposing goalie.

Moments later, Onyekuru dazzled his way into the area, but the hosts’ defenders did well to clear the danger for a corner-kick.

Iheanacho then sent an effort over the bar after Onyekuru set him up with a cute pass before the Beninoise goalkeeper came to his side’s rescue when Osimhen was poised to strike.

And just before the referee brought an end to proceedings in the opening period, Onyekuru agonisingly watched his header parried to safety by the goalkeeper.

The Super Eagles picked off where they left off in the second half, with both Chukwueze and Osimhen fluffing early chances to open the scoring.

Offensively, defensively, @henryconyekuru was all it . Thank God for active football for my bro 🤟

— John Ogu (@ogujohnugo) March 27, 2021

Nigeria will be one of the participating teams at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon – but that ticket was secured three hours before a 1-0 win over Benin Republic in Porto Novo sealed a double over the Beninoise and ended an 8-year unbeaten run for the Squirrels at the Stade Charles de Gaulle.

Substitute Paul Onuachu secured all the points with a powerful header three minutes into added time, ensuring that the Squirrels will have to avoid defeat away in Freetown on Tuesday to be sure of a place in Cameroon. The Eagles had edged the Squirrels 2-1 when both teams met in Uyo 16 months ago.

Group mates Sierra Leone and Lesotho ended their encounter in Maseru scoreless, sending Nigeria through to the finals before they took the turf at a venue where Benin Republic had not witnessed defeat since losing 1-3 to Algeria in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match on 9th June 2013.

The result in Maseru guaranteed Nigeria her 19th appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations, in the competition’s 33rd finals. Only seven-time winners Egypt (24 previous finals); two –time winners Cote d’Ivoire (23 previous finals); four-time winners Ghana (22 previous finals); five –time winners Cameroon (19 previous finals) and; 2004 champions Tunisia (19 previous finals) have been at the AFCON more times than Nigeria, who have won the competition three times.

Two unfashionable draws against Sierra Leone in November were the only games that Nigeria played in a pandemic-ravaged year 2020, stimulating Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr to demand for victory in order to restore a winning mentality into his group ahead of the World Cup qualifyingrace starting in two months.

There was not much to cheer in a tepid first half, which saw only Henry Onyekuru’s snap header pushed out by the impressive goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbé as the major talking point. Not a hugely interesting afternoon for a sparse crowd of just 200 people, a restriction forced on the host nation by CAF as part of coronavirus –curtailing measures.

Former U17 World Cup winners Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze led the fore for Nigeria, assisted by Henry Onyekuru, but the Super Eagles did not exactly press for an avalanche of goals on an afternoon they already knew their flight to Cameroon was booked.

Two minutes into the second half, Chukwueze and Onyekuru failed to decide on who was better –placed to strike in the box, with Onyekuru eventually sending the ball sky-high. Five minutes later, the hosts came very close when William Ekong allowed an onrushing defender to get a leg to the ball and heave it above goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, missing the net by inches. Osimhen, all strength and purpose, shot narrowly over the sticks in the 54th minute, and then struck the upright two minutes later as Nigeria switched into second gear.

In the 62nd minute, Okoye flung himself full –length to thwart a glancing header from slipping into the net, and in the 90th minute, Osimhen forced a good save from Allagbé with a powerful header.

Onuachu, on the field for 20 minutes after replacing Iheanacho, was gifted a gold –plated opportunity to score only his second goal for Nigeria as the ball rose high in the box following Victor Osimhen’s attempt from a Samuel Chukwueze’s corner kick.

The Eagles returned to their Golden Tulip Hotel in Cotonou after the match and will be back in Lagos on Sunday to begin preparation for Tuesday’s final-round game against Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.