In a surprising turn of events, the Super Eagles of Nigeria fell 1-2 to Rwanda’s Amavubi (Bees) at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium during the final matchday of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Despite topping their group, Nigeria’s performance left much to be desired.
The match saw Nigeria struggle to connect their midfield with their attack, allowing the Rwandan side to disrupt their game plan. Substitute Samuel Chukwueze, introduced at the start of the second half for Kelechi Iheanacho, injected some energy into the team. In the 61st minute, Chukwueze skillfully maneuvered past three defenders to score Nigeria’s only goal after receiving a pass from Frank Onyeka, sparking life into the sparse crowd in Uyo.
However, Rwanda equalized in the 68th minute when substitute Marie Gueulette headed in a free kick past Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. Three minutes later, Rwanda capitalized on defensive lapses to score the winning goal.
Victor Boniface, eager to make an impression, missed multiple opportunities, including a header in the 24th minute from a Moses Simon cross and another attempt in the second half that was saved by Rwandan goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Onyeka created promising chances, but Nigeria failed to regain their footing.
Although Rwanda celebrated a memorable victory, they did not qualify for the AFCON finals as Benin Republic’s goalless draw with Libya sealed their fate.
Lookman Nominated for Africa Player of the Year
Despite the disappointing result, there was some consolation for Nigeria as forward Ademola Lookman, sidelined due to injury in the match against Benin Republic, was nominated for the prestigious Africa Player of the Year award.
Other nominees include Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast), Serhou Guirassy (Guinea), and Ronwen Williams (South Africa). The awards ceremony is scheduled for December 16 in Morocco.
