The AFCON 2025 quarter-finals feature Nigeria’s Super Eagles. They ate the Mambas of Mozambique in extravagant fashion.
Nigeria are the first nation to have won the continental showpiece with a 4-0 victory.
Read more about the Super Eagles’ 4-0 victory over Mozambique in the AFCON quarterfinals.
The Super Eagles advanced to the quarter-finals with a brace from Victor Osimhen’s brace, and one from Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams.
Four wins out of four were kept by Eric Chelle’s men while also keeping a clean sheet.
Five Things to Learn From Nigeria vs. Mozambique
Five crucial observations from Nigeria’s conflict with Mozambique’s Mambas are presented.
Osimhen and Lookman Shine are in charge of Nigeria.
Osimhen and Lookman were expected to lead the Super Eagles’ campaign for the continental crown prior to the AFCON.
The players, who were the African Player of the Year winners in 2023 and 2024, are now leading Nigeria’s quest for a fourth AFCON trophy.
Both scored three goals on Tuesday to advance to the last four for Nigeria. Similar to Lookman, Osimhen has now scored three goals in the competition. However, he is currently in contention for the player of the competition prize with four assists.
Lookman was a constant presence throughout every attack attempt. The Mozambicans had to deal with the Atalanta man’s trickery and pace on the night in Fez.
Iwobi’s pivotal role
But despite all of their goals and assists, Alex Iwobi was in the middle of the field dictating play with his precise passes. This AFCON, the Fulham man, who has received a lot of criticism for his Super Eagles performances, is blazing. His pre-assistants were key in enabling Nigeria to fly first in Morocco. The former Arsenal player demonstrated his talent as one of Nigeria’s top creators.
Iwobi has been able to dictate play almost comfortably with the help of Frank Onyeka, who has been a key player in midfield and who effectively collaborates with the front men while defending when necessary.
As the Super Eagles fight for another title, he should keep doing that.
A first AFCON 2025 clean sheet
The Super Eagles have found the net 12 times in four games, which is the highest total in the competition so far, and Iwobi’s creativity may have been key to Nigeria’s success at the AFCON. Despite all of their goals, however, concerns over the defensive setup have grown more acute, especially since the team conceded in all group games, most recently allowing two goals against Tunisia despite taking a 3-0 lead.
The three-time African champions, however, kept a clean sheet in a game where Stanley Nwabali was hardly tested for the first time in the 2025 AFCON.
When called upon, Calvin Baseey resembled a brick wall for Nigeria, despite rarely having to deal with issues with his defense. He and Samuel Ajayi displayed a level of self-assurance and calmness typical of Italian antiquarian defense. Throughout the entire contest, they were able to stop Mozambique from scoring.
Ako Adams deserves a reward.
Akor Adams was the only player who, aside from keeping a clean sheet, had a star-studded performance against the Mambas. The diligent Sevillan man scored Nigeria’s fourth goal in the contest as a reward for his quickness, consistency, and versatility, which he used to terrorize the Southern Africans.
An Alternate on the Pitch
Although the victory was assured, an Osimhen-Lookman altercation off-field threatened to end the team’s reputation. When the Super Eagles were already 3-0 up, the Galatasaray forward was caught speaking with his teammate.
At the last whistle, Osimhen was later subbed and plunged into the tunnel. However, Lookman claims that his teammate has no issues.
What Will Nigeria Do Next?  ,
The Super Eagles are eager to know the winner of the Algeria-DR Congo game now that it is over.
Nigeria will be hoping to avenge their AFCON semifinal defeat if Algeria is defeated by Riyad Mahrez in the 95th minute.
The three-time champions would be aiming to win back their pride after defeating them in the World Cup play-off final.
Source: Channels TV
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