In a thrilling encounter at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny in Ivory Coast, Nigeria’s Super Eagles displayed resilience as they came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic. The result ensured Nigeria’s qualification for the AFCON 2025 tournament in Morocco, maintaining their unbeaten record in the qualifiers.

The match began with Benin’s Tijani Mohammed nodding home a well-executed set-piece in the 16th minute, capitalizing on a momentary lapse in Nigeria’s defense when Victor Osimhen was off the pitch. Despite the setback, the Super Eagles fought back, and Osimhen made his presence felt in the second half with a header that leveled the scores just nine minutes before full time.

Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong, who also captains Al-Kholood, praised Benin for their disciplined game plan. Speaking to NFF Media, he reflected on the match and expressed satisfaction with the team’s qualification effort.

“I want to congratulate our coach and team for achieving our goal of qualifying for the AFCON. Benin put up a strong fight and had a good game plan. We were a bit unlucky in the moment they scored, but credit to them. That said, I think 1-1 was a fair result, and we’re happy to remain unbeaten in this campaign,” Troost-Ekong remarked.

Nigeria, under head coach Augustine Eguavoen, will now prepare for their final group stage match against Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Monday.