Nigeria mowed down Mozambique with a masterclass performance underpinned by purpose, direction, urgency, and clinical delivery in Fès on Monday night to reach the quarterfinals of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Victor Osimhen, winning his 50th cap for Nigeria at the senior level, struck after only two minutes after a cross by Bright Osayi-Samuel, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Defender Semi Ajayi, returning after sitting out Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat of Uganda, and who scored Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament, almost gave dominant Nigeria the lead after 10 minutes with another header, but the Mambas’ goalkeeper foiled the effort.
A quarter of an hour later, the goalkeeper had no answer as Nigeria poured forward once more, with Ademola Lookman hooking the ball into the net after a cross by Akor Adams, who had been put through by another superb Alex Iwobi pass.
Iwobi was at it again five minutes later, finding Lookman at the left side, and the forward connected brilliantly with Victor Osimhen for Nigeria’s second, and Osimhen’s 33rd goal in 50 matches for Nigeria.
Iwobi, who has been imperious in this tournament, came close to scoring in the 37th minute, only to watch the opposing goal-tender foil the effort by parrying the ball for a corner kick.
The three-time champions started the second period the way they had started the first, and this time, Osimhen’s strike counted. He watched fellow striker Ademola Lookman turn the Mozambican defenders inside out and positioned himself to drive the ball into the net for Nigeria’s third and his own 34th senior goal – keeping him now within three more to match the great Rashidi Yekini’s all-time tally of 37 for Nigeria.
Four minutes later, it could have been 4-0, but Osayi-Samuel’s drive from the edge of the box missed narrowly.
With 15 minutes left, Akor Adams scored his first AFCON goal and his third for Nigeria, when he hammered into the roof of the net for goal number four, after a textbook pass by Lookman.
Lookman’s own piledriver missed narrowly in the 78th minute, and substitute Raphael Onyedika also missed narrowly with an angled shot with two minutes left.
The win sends the Super Eagles to a quarter-final duel against the winner of Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash between Democratic Republic of Congo and Algeria, which comes up in Rabat. That quarter-final showdown will take place at the Grand Stade de Marrakech on Saturday.