Victor Osimhen was the hero for Eric Chelle's Super Eagles as Nigeria secured all three points against the Cheetahs of the Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Soccernet.ng reports.
The three-time AFCON Champions knew that nothing but victory on home soil would be enough to keep their dreams of playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup alive.
Osimhen scored Nigeria's first of the night three minutes into the game, feeding off a brilliant pass from Fulham's Samuel Chukwueze.
GOAAAAL! OSIMHEN STRIKES EARLY!
Brilliant assist from Chukwueze and the Super Eagles’ striker makes no mistake! ⚡️ Perfect start for Nigeria!
NGA 1-0 BEN | 3′#NGABEN #WCQ #SuperEagles pic.twitter.com/9HPumRWAv3
— SportyTV (@SportyTV_) October 14, 2025
The duo combined again for the second goal of the game in the 37th minute before completing his hat-trick in the second half, heading home from Moses Simon's free kick.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they secured a 4-0 win over Benin in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
How the Super Eagles fared
1. Stanley Nwabali 6.5/10: The Chippa United goalkeeper regained his usual calm demeanour today. He made a few saves to deny Benin and keep Nigeria's positive goal difference intact.
He was also impactful in the air, coming out to claim corner kicks, a resolution of the errors he made against Lesotho.
2. Benjamin Frederick 6.8/10: The FCV Dender defender, despite playing out of position, is making the Nigerian fans run out of words to describe to maturity with which he plays whenever he's on the pitch.
While he wasn't spectacular in attack, he was defensively solid, made decent attacking runs, and dealt with Benin's vertical balls very well.
3. Calvin Bassey 6.9/10: The Fulham defender commanded the backline in Ekong's absence, in speech and in act.
His physicality came in handy as he continually put his body on the line to deal with the duels from the Benin attackers.
4. Semi Ajayi 6.6/10: The Hull City defender was calm in possession, dealt with the aerial threats and helped in the build-up play.
He got a yellow card after his goal attempt was flagged as a foul by the referee.
5. Zaidu Sanusi 6.3/10: The FC Porto defender didn't have much to worry about defensively, especially in the first half, but his involvement in attack was decent.
Given his lack of minutes at the club level, he cramped up in the 74th minute and made way for Bruno Onyemaechi.
He captained the team in Ekong's absence and kept things tight in the middle of the park as the game went on.
7. Alex Iwobi 6.8/10: The Fulham midfielder probed the Benin defence with key passes all through the game. He had a few chances to find the back of the net, but his attempts were blocked.
He made way for Terem Moffi with two minutes left on the clock.
8. Moses Simon 6.9/10: The FC Paris winger put on his creative boots at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium today. He set up Victor Osimhen's third goal while playing a huge role in the game's fourth goal by Frank Onyeka.
He came close to finding the back of the net himself, but his shot was palmed away by Marcel Danjinou.
7. Samuel Chukwueze 7.2/10: The Fulham winger bagged an assist against AFC Bournemouth before travelling down to play for the Super Eagles for the October International break.
He was at his creative best in the first half, creating the two assists for Victor Osimhen's two first-half goals.
An injury saw him make way at half-time for Olakunle Olusegun.
10. Akor Adams 6.6/10: The Sevilla forward put in the dirty work in attack, filling up the spaces in the centre of the park to give Osimhen the freedom needed to thrive and the decision paid off.
11. Victor Osimhen 9/10: The Galatasaray man played with intent, knowing everything Nigeria needed to do to make the play-offs spot, and stamped his mark on the game inside just three minutes.
Away from the goals, he led with his performance and scored a hat-trick, making it clear he wants to make a debut entry into the FIFA World Cup stage.
Victor Osimhen's stats for Nigeria
43 games played
⚽️29 goals
️12 assists17 goals, 8 assists in 16 AFCON qualifiers
10 goals, one assist in 13 World Cup qualifying games.Underrated? pic.twitter.com/Trp5a4MtGp
— Fola Guerreiro (@folahan_jnr) October 14, 2025
Substitutes
Olusegun Olakunle 5.9/10: The 23-year-old replaced Samuel Chukwueze at the start of the second half, but didn't really get involved. He had a chance to score later on, but he scuffed his shot.
Frank Onyeka 7/10: The Brentford midfielder replaced Akor Adams in the 74th minute, and with Ndidi already sitting deep, took it upon himself to infuse his burst of energy into the attack.
His late run saw him volley his second goal in Nigerian colours into the back of the net in the 91st minute to seal a 4-0 win.
GOAAAAAL! THE FOURTH TO KNOCK THE DOOR OF THE PLAYOFFS
Great play and cross by Simon and Onyeka scores woth a great volley!
The Super Eagles are in the playoffs right now!!!
NGA 4-0 BEN | 90′#NGABEN #WCQ #SuperEagles pic.twitter.com/Vou3exrqpf
— SportyTV (@SportyTV_) October 14, 2025
Tolu Arokodare 6.7/10: The Wolverhampton Wanderers forward changed the dynamic of the Super Eagles' attack when he replaced Victor Osimhen in the 81st minute. The team resorted to long balls, and he kept things under close control as one of those situations led to Frank Onyeka's goal.
Terem Moffi came on in the 87th minute to replace Alex Iwobi. He wasn't involved in any meaningful action.
