- Safiu Kehinde
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has assured Nigerians of the national team’s readiness to build on the momentum from their emphatic 4-1 victory against Gabon to secure the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket for the country.
Osimhen whose brace helped Nigeria seal a spot in the final of the African play-offs for the tournament yesterday gave the assurance while reflecting on the match in his address to the State House media.
The Galatasaray forward expressed his delight in the performance of the squad, stressing that the players showed the kind of formidable squad that they are.
“First of all, it’s a great performance from the squad. We know the kind of team we were playing against. To be able to utilise our chances was quite important.
“As the centre, it gives me to courage to try to get more goals to help my team.
“Overall, I’m proud of this performance of the boys. We showed what kind of squad we have, both as a team and as individuals.
“We will keep on building the momentum from there but to be honest I’m really proud of the squad.” He said.
Also reacting to the win was the Director-General for the Nigerian National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, who commended the Super Eagles while expressing his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his support to the commission.
“Great dat for Nigeria. I want to specially thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, father of our nation.
“Thank you for the support that you’ve given to the NSC, to the Chairman, myself, and all the other stakeholders in sports.
“Today, the boys have proven again that we come from the best country and when we are untied, we achieve greatness. One down, another to go on Sunday.” Olopade said.
While admitting to the pressure on the team during the match, Oyinade Nathan-Marsh, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration, also heaped praises on the Super Eagles for their win against Gabon.
“They played skillfully. They played beautifully. At a point, it was quite tense. But eventually, they came through for us. We are behind you Super Eagles.” Nathan-Marsh.
Similarly, Saleh Ahmadu, a Nigerian businessman and philanthropist who watched the match in Rabat, Morocco, held that the game was difficult at the beginning.
He expressed his gratitude to God for the outcome as he affirmed that Nigeria would secure the World Cup ticket.
Ahmadu also thanked Tinubu for his support of the team.
“The match was hard at the beginning. But we thank God. At the end of the day, we got what we needed. And inshallah, we will qualify for the world cup.
“We thank the President for his support. And whatever we are going to do, we will do it to support the team and support Mr. President.” The businessman said.
Super Eagles are tipped to face DR Congo, who secured a narrow 1-0 against Cameroon in the other match.
If the Nigeria emerge winner of the match which will be played on Sunday, the team will advance to the inter-continental stage of the qualification where they will stand a chance to secure one of the last two tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup slated to hold across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.