Under the golden floodlights of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the drums never stopped beating.
The air was thick with anticipation, and 60,000 hearts pulsed to the same rhythm — Nigeria’s. For Victor Osimhen, it wasn’t just another match; it was redemption in motion.
Barely three minutes in, the Galatasaray forward ghosted past Benin’s defenders, meeting Samuel Chukwueze’s threaded pass with a calm, deadly finish. The crowd erupted. The Super Eagles were awake — and so was their talisman.
By the 37th minute, Chukwueze again found Osimhen, this time with a teasing cross that met a bullet header. The net rippled, the stands trembled, and Nigeria’s belief soared. Then, six minutes into the second half, Osimhen completed his masterpiece — a soaring header from Moses Simon’s free kick that sealed his hat-trick and his legend.
As the clock ticked into added time, Frank Onyeka unleashed a thunderous volley to make it four. The roar that followed could have shaken the Niger Delta. Nigeria had demolished Benin 4–0, climbing to 17 points — level with their West African neighbours but ahead on goal difference. The dream of the World Cup flickered anew.
But several thousand miles south, another story was unfolding — one that would alter the destiny of Group C. In Mbombela, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana brushed aside Rwanda 3–0, sealing top spot despite an earlier three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player. It was a triumph of resilience — and it meant that South Africa, not Nigeria, were heading straight to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
For Nigeria, it was bittersweet. Osimhen’s brilliance had saved pride, but not the prize. The Super Eagles would now have to fight their way through the CAF play-offs in November — a last dance before the grand stage in North America.
As fans filed out of the Uyo stadium, chants of “Osimhen! Osimhen!” echoed into the night. It was the sound of faith, of a nation refusing to give up. The World Cup dream wasn’t over — it had merely taken a longer route.
