Africa Cup Of Nations | Saturday January 10 | QF 3
- Algeria 0-2 Nigeria
Nigeria made a statement at AFCON 2025 on Saturday evening, defeating Algeria 2–0 to set up a semi-final showdown with hosts Morocco.
At the Grand Stade de Marrakech, the Super Eagles dominated from the first whistle, controlling the tempo and testing an Algerian side that struggled to cope with Nigeria’s pace and intensity.
The first half ended goalless, though Nigeria created the better chances. Calvin Bassey almost opened the scoring in the 29th minute, only for Ramy Bensebaini to clear off the line after a VAR check ruled no goal. Alex Iwobi later set up Adams Akor, but the forward’s effort went wide.
The breakthrough came early in the second half. Two minutes after the restart, Victor Osimhen calmly finished a pinpoint cross from Bruno Onyemaechi, exploiting a misjudgment by goalkeeper Luca Zidane.
Ten minutes later, Osimhen turned provider, squaring for Akor, who rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into an empty net, doubling Nigeria’s lead.
From there, Nigeria remained in control. Osimhen’s constant movement kept Algeria on the back foot, and Akor nearly added a third in the 82nd minute, hitting the post.
Algeria, worn down from a tough extra-time win over DR Congo, offered little resistance, while Nigeria denied them any clear scoring chance.
The victory was a statement of intent for a team still smarting from missing World Cup qualification two months ago.
With this win, Nigeria reach the AFCON semi-finals for the 17th time in 20 tournaments they have qualified for.
Next Thursday in Rabat, the Super Eagles face Moroccoa test that will demand another level.
