Nigeria moved a step closer to a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title with a dominant 4-0 victory over Mozambique in the round of 16, bringing an emphatic end to the Mambas’ historic debut knockout run.
The 2023 runners-up were in control from the opening exchanges and never allowed Mozambique a foothold in the contest, extending their perfect record at the tournament to four wins from four matches, the first time Nigeria have achieved that feat at an AFCON finals.
Victor Osimhen had the ball in the net inside two minutes, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside, setting the tone for a relentless opening spell. Alex Iwobi was denied by a sharp save soon after, while a series of blocked efforts.
The breakthrough arrived after 20 minutes when Ademola Lookman produced a composed finish into the top corner from inside the box to claim his third goal of the tournament.
Five minutes later, the Super Eagles doubled their lead as Lookman’s delivery was deftly flicked on by Akor Adams for Osimhen to tap in at the back post.
Osimhen went close to a second before the break with a header that drifted narrowly wide, while Wilfred Ndidi fired off target from distance. Mozambique’s best chance of the half fell to Faisal Bangal, but his close-range header failed to test Stanley Nwabali.
Nigeria maintained the same intensity after the restart and soon added a third. Once again, Lookman was the creator, threading a precise ball to the back post for Osimhen to prod home his second of the night.
Bright Osayi-Samuel came close to extending the lead, firing narrowly wide before being denied by goalkeeper Ernan Siluane, while Adams saw a curling effort from the edge of the area well saved.
The forward would not be denied, however, skipping past his marker late on and smashing a powerful finish into the near top corner to complete the scoring.
The result represents Nigeria’s joint-biggest win at the Africa Cup of Nations, matching their 4-0 victory over South Africa in 2004, and sets up a quarter-final meeting with either Algeria or DR Congo as they continue their bid for a first continental crown since 2013.
