Nigeria claimed a comfortable 2-0 win against Algeria today to secure a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals for the 16th time, courtesy of goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams.
From the opening minutes, Nigeria looked sharper and more organised than Algeria. Eric Chelle’s side pressed high, moved the ball with purpose and refused to allow Algeria any rhythm.
Ademola Lookman was once again at the heart of Nigeria’s early attacking threat, cutting inside from the left to unleash a fierce shot that was comfortably held by Luca Zidane.
Lookman nearly sent Osimhen clear on goal moments later, only for Rayan Ait-Nouri to step in with a perfectly timed tackle that prevented a certain opener.
Nigeria continued to push forward and came agonisingly close to scoring before the break.
A well-delivered free kick caused chaos in the Algerian box, and Calvin Bassey’s clever finish looked destined for the net until it was cleared off the line.
The Super Eagles ensured their pressure paid off just minutes into the second half as Osimhen rose highest to power home a cross from Bruno Onyemaechi.
Algeria struggled to respond, and Nigeria quickly made their dominance count again. Alex Iwobi spotted Osimhen’s run and played him in brilliantly.
Osimhen showed great awareness to square the ball for Akor Adams, who calmly went round the Algerian goalkeeper before slotting into an empty net to make it 2–0.
The remainder of the game followed the same script. Algeria lacked ideas and threat, while Nigeria stayed composed, limiting their opponents to no shots on target and converting two of their three big chances.
This convincing win keeps Nigeria on course for a fourth AFCON title. They’ll now prepare for a blockbuster semi-final clash against hosts Morocco.
