My Blog

Tag: Nigeria vs Mozambique

  • Super Eagles Cruise Past Mozambique 4–0, Book AFCON 2025 Semi-Final Spot

    Super Eagles Cruise Past Mozambique 4–0, Book AFCON 2025 Semi-Final Spot

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria delivered a masterclass performance on Saturday, dismantling the Mozambique Mambas 4–0 in their AFCON 2025 quarter-final clash to secure a convincing place in the semi-finals of the tournament.

    Nigeria asserted their dominance early in the encounter, pressing high and controlling possession, with the midfield trio dictating the tempo and starving Mozambique of space.

    The breakthrough came in the 18th minute when Victor Osimhen rose highest to head home a pinpoint cross from Ademola Lookman, sending Nigerian supporters into celebration.

    Buoyed by the opener, the Super Eagles intensified their pressure.

    Ademola Lookman doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 33rd minute with a well-placed finish following a swift attacking move, capping a dominant first-half display that left the Mambas chasing shadows.

    Mozambique attempted to respond after the break, but Nigeria’s defence, marshalled by Kevin Bassey and Taiwo Ajayi, stood firm, while goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali remained largely untroubled.

    Nigeria effectively put the game beyond reach in the 56th minute when Alex Iwobi delivered a perfectly weighted pass that was calmly finished by Lookman, following sustained pressure in Mozambique’s half.

    The Super Eagles continued to dictate proceedings, with Osimhen and Lookman stretching the opposition with pace and movement.

    The rout was completed in the 74th minute as Lookman turned provider once again, setting up Adams Akor, who slotted home confidently to underline Nigeria’s attacking depth and dominance.

    Osimhen’s tireless runs, Lookman’s creativity, and Iwobi’s control in midfield proved decisive, while the defensive unit ensured Mozambique failed to register any meaningful attempt on target throughout the contest.

    Speaking after the match, the Super Eagles’ coach praised his team’s discipline and collective effort, describing the emphatic victory as a clear statement of intent as Nigeria continues its quest for a fourth AFCON title.

    With the convincing win, the Super Eagles march into the AFCON 2025 semi-finals full of confidence and momentum, awaiting their next opponent as hopes of continental glory grow stronger.

  • Int’l Friendly: Eagles Set To Strike Mambas As World Cup Race Beckons

    After conceding a last-minute goal that tied their encounter with Saudi Arabia 2-2 in Portimäo on Friday, the Super Eagles are determined to earn a win over the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday in order to have a positive mindset ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe next month.

    Forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who changed the tenor of the game and netted a spectacular second goal against the Green Falcons, will not be available to Coach Jose Peseiro on Monday having left the camp to attend to personal matters. Also unavailable is Ballon d’Or Dozen-shortlister Victor Osimhen, who is nursing a hamstring injury.

    Yet, Peseiro is bullish ahead of the encounter, insisting he has a clutch of forwards who can send packing the southern Africans in their only fifth-ever clash with Nigeria at senior level.

    “We will miss Kelechi and Victor, but we have other good players who can make Nigeria proud. I look at the bench and see players who can step up and take their chances.”

    The clash with the Mambas is the last gathering for the three-time African champions before the race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins, in which they host the Crocodiles of Lesotho and then fly to play Zimbabwe’s Warriors away, all within a few days in November.

    In the absence of Iheanacho and Osimhen, Peseiro will have to cast his lot with Terem Moffi, Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and Moses Simon, and hope that Alex Iwobi comes to the party in his playmaking role to supply ammunition to the forwards.

    Defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Jordan Torunarigha and Chidozie Awaziem, and midfielders Frank Onyeka, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika did not taste action against the Saudis, and could prove to be Peseiro’s aces against the Mambas at the Estadio Municipal de Portimäo on Monday.

    Nigeria and Mozambique have met four times at senior level, with the Super Eagles winning a friendly match in Maputo by a lone goal, before home-and-away 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches that remain fresh in the memory till this day.

    Mambas’ forward ‘Tico Tico’ Bucuane proved a thorn in Nigeria’s flesh in the first encounter in Maputo that ended scoreless. At the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja in October 2009, it was heading to another 0-0 scoreline before Yusuf Ayila valiantly rescued an outbound ball that landed on the head of Victor Obinna Nsofor for the only goal of the match. Had the match ended 0-0, Nigeria would have been eliminated from the race to the first FIFA World Cup on African soil.

    Few months later, at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola, the Eagles spanked the Mambas 3-0 in Lubango to qualify for the tournament’s quarter finals.