It was a tensed encounter at the Stade Charles de Gaulle and the visitors had to wait until the last minute to grab all three points. Paul Onuachu’s late goal helped Nigeria end Benin’s unbeaten home run since 2013 with a 1-0 victory in their penultimate Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Saturday.
The Genk striker came off the bench in Porto-Novo to lead Gernot Rohr’s team to victory on Saturday
Paul Onuachu has appreciated Nigerians for motivating him to show his best for the Super Eagles after his late winning goal in their 1-0 defeat of Benin on Saturday.
Onuachu replaced Kelechi Iheanacho at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in the 70th minute to steer the three-time African champions to victory in their penultimate 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
After Victor Osimhen’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Saturnin Allagbe, the Genk forward followed up with his header which broke the deadlock in Porto-Novo in the 93rd minute.
The defeat dealt a blow to the Squirrels’ qualification hopes as they now need to avoid defeat against third-placed Sierra Leone when they face each other on Tuesday.
Even before a ball was kicked in their qualifier against Benin, the West African giants had already secured their berth in Cameroon due to results elsewhere.
Nigeria qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for Cameroon, ahead of their Match Day 5 fixture, after Sierra Leone’s goalless draw with Lesotho on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Super Eagles, who played later in the day in Group L, qualified by virtue of the result of the earlier fixture.
Lesotho hosted Sierra Leone in the earlier fixture at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, drawing 0-0.
This meant table-toppers Nigeria with eight points have secured their 2021 AFCON ticket, while Benin Republic with seven points can also ensure qualification.
But this will be if they get a draw against visiting Nigeria.
Sierra Leone, with four points, occupied the third spot on the log.
They will be counting on the Super Eagles to do them the favour of beating the Squirrels in Port Novo.
Nigeria’s victory over Benin Republic will give the Leone Stars a slim hope of qualification heading into their penultimate round fixture.
The Leone Stars host the Squirrels at the National Stadium in Freetown, on Tuesday.
Bottom-placed Lesotho with three points are out of the race and will be playing for pride against the Super Eagles at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, also on Tuesday.
Predictably, the qualification was met with strong and emotional response across social media as fans flocked to celebrate the achievement and to back Nigeria for glory in Cameroon.
