Super Eagles Crush Mozambique 4-0, Advance to Quarterfinals

By Emmanuel Kwada

Nigeria’s Super Eagles produced a devastating display of attacking football to crush Mozambique 4-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16, securing their place in the quarter-finals with authority at the Complexe Sportif de Fès.

The three-time African champions wasted no time asserting dominance over the tournament debutants in the knockout stage.

Ademola Lookman broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with a composed finish, quickly followed by Victor Osimhen’s predatory strike just five minutes later.

Osimhen doubled his tally shortly after the restart, heading home powerfully in the 47th minute to effectively end the contest. Substitute Akor Adams completed the rout with a thumping effort in the 75th minute, capping a night of total Nigerian control.

Lookman, deservedly named Man of the Match, terrorised the Mozambique defence throughout, scoring once and providing two assists.

His partnership with Osimhen and Adams proved too hot to handle, while Alex Iwobi pulled the strings brilliantly from midfield.

The Super Eagles’ fluid movement and relentless pressing left the Mambas chasing shadows for long periods.

Mozambique, who had made history by reaching the knockouts for the first time following their memorable group-stage victory over Gabon, showed spirit but were simply outclassed.

They managed no shots on target and saw goalkeeper Ernan Siluane forced off through injury in the second half.

Despite the heavy defeat, the southern Africans depart with heads held high after their most successful AFCON campaign to date.

Nigeria recorded their first clean sheet of the tournament and have now scored an impressive 12 goals across four matches, making them the competition’s highest scorers.

Under coach Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles appear to be gathering serious momentum in their pursuit of a fourth continental crown.

In the earlier Round of 16 match on the same day, seven-time champions Egypt needed extra time to overcome a resilient Benin side 3-1 in Agadir.

Marwan Attia opened the scoring for the Pharaohs, only for Jodel Dossou to equalise late in normal time. Yasser Ibrahim restored Egypt’s lead early in extra time before captain Mohamed Salah sealed the victory with a clinical finish in the dying moments.

Attention now turns to the quarter-finals on January 10 in Marrakesh, where Nigeria will meet the winner of Tuesday’s clash between Algeria and DR Congo.

Meanwhile, Egypt will face the victor of the tie between defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.

This commanding victory serves as a stark statement of intent from the Super Eagles: they are hitting top gear at precisely the moment it matters most.