Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker, Victor James Osimhen was on the end of an Ademola Lookman cross to score a brilliant goal in the 11th minute to break the deadlock for Nigeria against Rwanda at the Stade Amahoro in Kigali, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Rwandans started the game by making their intent of defence first clear, but it only took a set-piece opportunity from Ademola Lookman to undo their plans.
Osimhen doubled the lead just before half-time, profiting off Samuel Chukwueze’s half clearance before dinking the ball over Fiacre Ntwari.
The moment Osimhen opened the scoring for Nigeria !!!
Let’s go.#OJBinKigali pic.twitter.com/A8Eda5HYGo
— Ojora Babatunde (@ojbsports) March 21, 2025
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they secured a 2-0 win over Rwanda in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
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1. Christian Nwabali 6.8/10: The Chippa United goalkeeper put up another solid performance in a Super Eagles jersey. He denied the Amavubi twice while acting as a sweeper several times. Decent outing from the 28-year-old on his 15th Super Eagles cap.
2. Ola Aina 6.4/10: The Nottingham Forest full-back had a decent game, considering he played as a left-back. He kept things tight at the back, although he’d have preferred to attack more if he played in a more familiar role. He was replaced by Bruno Onyemaechi in the 68th minute.
4. Calvin Bassey 6.9 /10: The Fulham defender put in a decent shift, completing 95% of his passes. He got down into his duels and won the majority of them.
5. Bright Osayi-Samuel 6.2 /10: The Fenerbahçe defender was decent at right-back although he struggled with the physicality of the game as time went on. Additionally, he didn’t offer much in attack, leaving the right flank stranded.
An injury saw him replaced by Alhassan Yusuf much later in the second half.
6. Alex Iwobi 6.6/10: The Fulham midfielder started the game with a few heavy touches, but settled in as time went on. It appeared he wasn’t too aware of the role he was meant to play today, opening up the middle of the park when Rwanda swamped forward in numbers.
Iwobi moved further up after Chukwueze was taken off and he played better.
7. Wilfred Ndidi 6.7/10: The presence of the Leicester City midfielder limited the number of attempts the Amavubi had on the Nigerian goal. He was composed in the middle of the park, dictating the tempo of the game.
10. Samuel Chukwueze 6.6/10: The AC Milan winger provided an assist for Victor Osimhen’s second. He didn’t quite get going in the second half. He’ll have better days. Raphael Onyedika replaced him in the 68th minute.
11. Victor Osimhen 7.5/10: The Galatasaray man was brilliant. Osimhen had a few clear-cut chances and executed them to perfection. His pressing was impeccable, his presence imbibed fear in the Rwandan defence, and he’s a vital reason why the Super Eagles sealed three points in Kigali. He was replaced by Tolu Arokodare with fifteen minutes left on the clock.
Substitutes
Alhassan Yusuf 6/10: The Royal Antwerp midfielder replaced Bright-Osayi Samuel after the full-back picked up an injury with fifteen minutes left on the clock. He kept things tight at the back.
Bruno Onyemaechi 6/10: The Olympiacos wing-back came on to create a chance for Osimhen, but the chance was scuffed. Other than that, he kept things tidy at the back.
Raphael Onyedika 6/10: The Club Brugge midfielder closed up the midfield after he came on, giving Ndidi more comfort as the Super Eagles sat back to take all three points home.
Tolu Arokodare 5/10: In fifteen minutes of play, the Genk man barely had any chance to threaten. He was given a yellow card in additional time.
Victor Boniface, Amas Obasogie, Kayode Bankole, Gift Ogbu, Jordan Torunarigha, Joe Ayodele-Aribo, Daniel Papa Mustapha, and Umar Sadiq did not play.
