2026 World Cup Qualifier: Osimhen Revives Super Eagles’ Chances
- As Rwanda fall 0 – 2 to Nigeria in Kigali
Galatasaray Goal machine, Victor Osimhen continued his impressive scoring form with a brace to revive Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On a day Coach Eric Chelle embarked on his first big assignment as head coach of the Super Eagles in an away clash to Rwanda in Kigali on Friday evening, Osimhen struck twice in the 11th and 45+3 minutes to put Nigeria back on track for a ticket to the Mundial.
An attack-minded approach by the Super Eagles saw the former African footballer of the year shining bright like a million Star inside the Amahoro Stadium.
Osimhen was certainly the star of the game; his two goals handed Nigeria a crucial win, which was their first in the qualifiers. Being one of the high-profile stars in the Super Eagles set-up, the forward delivered when his services were needed the most.
The game’s big loser on the night was Ntwari, the Rwandan Keeper. After his struggle at Amakhosi, he came into this match hoping to have a better outing and boost his confidence. However, he conceded two, and this could affect his morale going forward.
After three draws and one loss, Nigeria finally secured its first victory in this qualification phase of the World Cup. The Super Eagles now sit in fourth place in Group C with six (6) points from five matches.
Next on line for Nigeria is the game against Zimbabwe on March 25 in the qualifier in Uyo in search of their second win in the qualifiers while Rwanda will host Lesotho on the same day at the Amahoro Stadium.
Group C: South Africa 2-0 Lesotho
In the other Group C encounter, goals from in-form Relebohile Mofokeng in the 62nd minute and Jayden Adams in the 64th minute gave South Africa a comfortable 2-0 victory over visiting Lesotho inside the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
Following a nervy start to the first half, Bafana Bafana found the rhythm after the break to secure a victory over their neighbours, Lesotho.
The victory secured the top spot in Group C for the South Africans as they look to return to the global showpiece since their hosting in 2010.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | +/- | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Africa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2 |  Benin | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 3 |  Rwanda | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
| 4 |  Nigeria | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 5 |  Lesotho | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | 5 | |
| 6 |  Zimbabwe | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | -4 | 3 |
