Victor Osimhen scored one goal and scored the other to propel Nigeria into the last four of the African Cup of Nations.
Published January 10, 2026
Nigeria earned a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Algeria in the African Cup of Nations quarter-finals thanks to late goals from Victor Osimhen and Akol Adams, advancing to the semi-finals against hosts Morocco.
Two minutes into the second half on Saturday, Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane tried to stop him with a bizarre jump, but ended up getting the wrong angle and easily conceded the goal, allowing Osimhen to slot home Bruno Onyemaech’s long cross from the left.
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Ten minutes later, Osimhen unselfishly sent the ball over to Adams, who slotted it past Zidane and into an empty net to extend Nigeria’s lead.
It was an impressive performance for Nigeria, who missed out on qualifying for the World Cup two months ago. At the Grand Stade Marrakech, they dominated from the start, more determined, faster on the field, more resistant to challenges and never giving their opponents a chance to score.
Algeria were already in a difficult situation in the first half and Nigeria had ample chances to take the lead towards the end of the first half.
Algeria centre-back Ramy Bensebaini cleared Calvin Bassey’s shot from his line in the 29th minute after the depth of Ademola Lookman’s free-kick was misjudged by Zidane, allowing the Nigerian full-back to fire a shot towards goal from an angle.
Television replays showed that the entire circumference of the ball had crossed the line, but Bensebaini cleared it. However, the goal was disallowed by a VAR check due to the lack of goal-line technology.
In the 37th minute, a missed clearance from Zidane to full-back Aissa Mandy was intercepted by Alex Iwobi, who immediately passed the ball to Adams, but the Sevilla striker’s left-footed shot went wide and only deflected by the goalkeeper.
Osimhen’s aggressiveness and tenacity created another clear chance, and Adams headed the ball against the upright in the 82nd minute.
Algeria forced extra time before winning their last-16 match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday, but the intense workload may have been the reason for a lethargic performance from many of their key players. In contrast, Nigeria comfortably defeated Mozambique 4-0 on Monday.
Nigeria, who have reached the last four 17 times in the last 20 competitions, will face Morocco in Rabat in Wednesday’s semi-final.
The Super Eagles, whose preparations were far from ideal amid reports of unpaid bonuses, will face hosts Morocco in the second semi-final in Rabat on Wednesday.
Defending champions Ivory Coast will face seven-time champions Egypt in Agadir for the first spot in the semi-final against Senegal later on Saturday.
