Victor Osimhen played a pivotal role as Nigeria’s Super Eagles secured a vital 2-0 victory over Rwanda in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday. The Napoli striker, currently on loan to Galatasaray, scored both goals in the first half, providing a crucial boost to Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes, which had been in jeopardy.

Heading into the match, Nigeria faced significant pressure, having accumulated just three points from their first four games. However, the Super Eagles responded with a composed and controlled first-half performance, silencing the home crowd at the Amahoro Stadium.

Osimhen opened the scoring in the 25th minute. A perfectly executed free-kick from Ademola Lookman of Atalanta found Osimhen unmarked at the far post, allowing him to calmly tap the ball in and give Nigeria the lead.

Shortly after, Moses Simon nearly doubled the advantage with a powerful shot, but Rwanda’s goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari produced an excellent save to deny him.

Nigeria’s dominance continued, and they extended their lead in the 40th minute. Samuel Chukwueze of AC Milan delivered a precise pass to Osimhen, who displayed remarkable composure to chip the ball over Ntwari and secure his second goal of the match. This goal marked Osimhen’s 25th international strike for Nigeria, moving him past Segun Odegbami on the country’s all-time top scorers list. Only Rashidi Yekini, with 37 goals, remains ahead of him.

Despite a goalless second half, Nigeria maintained control throughout and comfortably saw out the match. With the victory, the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions now have six points in Group C of the qualifiers.