Victor Osimhen’s brace against Gabon sends Nigeria into Sunday’s CAF World Cup play-off final against Democratic Republic of Congo.
Published November 14, 2025
On Thursday, star forward Victor Osimhen scored twice in extra time to give Nigeria a 4-1 semi-final victory over Gabon, setting the stage for a Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2026 World Cup qualifying final against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Captain Chancel Mbemba was Congo’s hero in the second semi-final, scoring in the first minute of stoppage time in heavy rain in Rabat to defeat eight-time World Cup appearance Cameroon 1-0.
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Nigeria will play DRC in the Moroccan capital on Sunday, with the winner qualifying for the six-nation FIFA intercontinental tournament to be held in March. The second place of the best four groups participated in the African playoffs.
Bolivia and New Caledonia have already secured their spots in the playoffs. Iraq or the United Arab Emirates will represent Asia. There will be two qualifiers from the Central America/Caribbean region. Europe is excluded.
After a semi-final between the bottom four teams, the winners of the two finals will qualify for the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Nigeria is aiming to qualify for the global tournament for the seventh time since competing in 1974 when the Central African nation was called Zaire, while DRC is aiming for its second.
Osimhen missed a golden chance to give Nigeria victory in the dying minutes of stoppage time, firing a shot wide of the net that only goalkeeper Royce Mbaba could beat.
But the 2023 African Player of the Year made amends in the 102nd minute when he fired a shot past Mbaba and into the far corner, set off by Benjamin Fredrick.
He scored again in the 110th minute, controlling a long pass and again beating the goalkeeper with a shot into the far corner.
Nigeria conceded an equalizer in the 89th minute, but substitute Chidera Ejuke scored his first goal for the Super Eagles in the 97th minute to regain the lead.
Influence of Osimhen
Akole Adams’ goal gave Nigeria the lead in the 78th minute, before Mario Lemina equalized in the 89th minute.
Nigeria created a purple patch midway through the first half and came close three times before Osimhen broke the deadlock.
The 26-year-old Galatasaray striker twice headed wide, but a handball complaint was dismissed after a VAR review.
Another VAR check was carried out an hour later after Nigeria full-back Bright Ossai-Samuel tugged on Aaron Appindangoe’s shirt in the box, denying the defender a chance to convert the free-kick.
After a lengthy review, the Gabonese’s penalty appeal was rejected by the South African referee.
The stalemate in the tense showdown was finally broken when Adams intercepted Gabon’s missed pass and slotted it past Mbaba to score.
There was an element of luck in Gabon’s equalizing goal. Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali appeared to cover Lemina’s shot until it deflected into the top corner.
DRC denies Cameroon
Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were only six places apart in the world rankings, so a close game was expected, and it turned out that there were few clear scoring chances in a tight clash before Mbemba scored.
Manchester United striker Brian Mbeumo had Cameroon’s best chance midway through the second half, but his low shot went just wide.
Moments earlier, Congolese veteran Cedric Bakambu conceded a corner kick after his shot was blocked by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Group winners Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia secured nine automatic spots reserved for Africa.
