The Super Eagles of Nigeria have booked their place in the semifinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after a convincing 2–0 victory over Algeria in Marrakesh on Saturday night.
Second-half goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams sealed the quarterfinal win at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, extending Nigeria’s unbeaten run at the tournament and setting up a mouth-watering semifinal clash with host nation Morocco.
Nigeria dominated large spells of the encounter and came close to opening the scoring in the first half. Ademola Lookman tested Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane early on, while Osimhen and Calvin Bassey also went close as the Super Eagles piled on the pressure. Akor Adams missed a clear one-on-one opportunity late in the half, firing over the bar.
Just two minutes after the restart, Nigeria finally got the breakthrough. Osimhen finished calmly after latching onto a pass from Bruno Onyemaechi, following a well-worked move that involved Alex Iwobi. The goal took Osimhen’s tally to four at the tournament, moving him closer to Rashidi Yekini’s all-time national scoring record.
Algeria struggled to respond, and Nigeria doubled their advantage in the 57th minute. Osimhen turned provider this time, setting up Akor Adams, who dribbled past Zidane before slotting the ball home to score his first goal of the tournament.
The Super Eagles continued to threaten, with Akor Adams narrowly missing a second goal after hitting the woodwork late in the game. Coach Eric Chelle made several substitutions to manage the match, while goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali received a late booking for time-wasting as Nigeria protected their lead.
Despite late pressure from the Desert Foxes, Nigeria remained solid at the back, with Bright Osayi-Samuel delivering an impressive performance before leaving the pitch injured in stoppage time.
The victory not only ended Algeria’s unbeaten run at AFCON 2025 but also made Nigeria the first team to score twice against Luca Zidane in the competition.
With confidence high and key players in form, the Super Eagles now turn their attention to a semifinal showdown against hosts Morocco as they continue their quest for a fourth AFCON title.
Advertisement
