The Super Eagles thrashed Mozambique 4-0 in their 2025 AFCON Round of 16 clash on Monday night, earning praises from head coach Eric Chelle.
The 48-year-old who was awarded the CAF manager of group stage, guided the team to their fourth victory at the tournament as they progressed to the next round.
Nigeria came into the tournament on the back of disappointment after missing out on the FIFA World Cup later this year to DR Congo in the CAF playoffs and could now meet the same opponent in their last eight encounter.
Speaking after the match, Chelle hailed his side winning mentality and urged them to continue to improve in their coming games.
“I’m happy about this game winning by four goals but in reality we didn’t do anything special, we just won one game. If we want to be ambitious we need to continue to improve and keep this quality on the pitch”, the former Mali coach stated.
“My job now is to keep the players very focus about their training sessions and behaviour.”
Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the first half, before Victor Osimhen added a second as Nigeria took a two-goal lead into the break.
Two minutes after the restart, Osimhen grabbed his second of the match and third of the tournament with another neat finish from a Lookman assist.
The Super Eagles continued their dominance over the Mambas, who struggled to create any meaningful opportunity.
Akor Adams added a late fourth with his first-ever goal at the African Cup of Nations with a thunderous strike from inside the area, sealing an emphatic win for Nigeria.
The three-time African champions will face Algeria or DR Congo in the quarterfinals with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
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