Victor Osimhen scored twice to lead Nigeria to a critical 2-0 win over Rwanda in their CAF World Cup qualification Group C match on Friday.
Osimhen scored the first goal for the Super Eagles in the 11th minute, capitalising on Ademola Lookman’s devastating cross.
The attacker extended Nigeria’s advantage in first-half stoppage time (45+3′), securing a crucial victory for his team.
The encounter was rough, with Rwanda’s D. Bizimana receiving a yellow card in the 46th minute and Nigeria’s Wilfred Ndidi collecting a booking in the 49th minute.
Despite having 45% possession, Rwanda struggled to penetrate Nigeria’s defence, managing only two attempts on target.
Nigeria, on the other hand, had three shots on goal and eight corner kicks, dominating offensive play.
Nigeria now ranks fourth in Group C with six points after five matches, keeping their qualifying chances alive.
South Africa is presently leading the group with 10 points, followed by Benin (8 points) and Rwanda (7 points).
Nigeria will now focus on their next matches in order to rise higher in the standings and go to the next stage of the qualification campaign.
Osimhen’s goals eclipsed legendary striker Segun Odegbami on the country’s all-time leading goal scorers list.
With the goals, Osimhen moved into second place on Nigeria’s goal-scoring table, trailing only the late Rashidi Yekini’s 37-goal total.
