Super Eagles Crowned AFCON Qualification with 3 - 0 Thrashing of Lesotho - In A Game of Pride

 

The Nigeria national team having already qualified for AFCON, even before the game against the crocodiles of Lesotho; where more or less playing for pride.'

Super Eagles marked their return to Lagos after ten years, but this time playing right opposite their traditional home stadium at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, thrashed Lesotho 3 - 0 to end their qualifying campaign for the 2021 AFCON with an unbeaten record.

Victor Osimhen put the Eagles ahead in the 23rd minute with his fifth in five qualifying games before Oghenekaro Etebo made it 2-0 in the second half with his second goal for Nigeria and his first since 2016.

Fresh from scoring the winner against Benin on Saturday, smoking-hot Paul Onuachu made it two goals in as many games with an exquisitely struck 83rd-minute volley from Henry Onyekuru’s cute backheel.

It was an emphatic statement from Onuachu whose presence in the squad had elicited plenty debate but who has now decisively shown he belongs in the Eagles squad.

Leon Balogun nearly made it four in added time but his header from a corner was cleared off the line.

Having declared that captain Ahmed Musa who is without a club was only in the squad in a non-playing capacity, Eagles boss Gernot Rohr gave the winger his first taste of competitive action in more than five months when he introduced him with a few minutes to spare the game clearly won and Enyimba winger Anayo Iwuala also earned his second cap as a second-half substitute.

The win achieved in front of a socially distanced crowd of about seven thousand meant Nigeria end the campaign with 14 points, having won four and drawn two games in Group L