June 13, (THEWILL) – In their second competitive games of the Jose Peseiro era, Nigeria’s Super Eagles beat their Sao Tome and Principe rivals 10-0 at the Stade d’Agadir in Morocco, with Victor Osimhen scoring his first-ever international super hattrick to make him top scorer of the qualifiers with 5 goals.
The TotalEnergies 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers got off to a good start, with the Portuguese coach picking up two wins and 12 goals in his first two competitive matches in charge.
Osimhen stole the show with four goals, although Moses Simon, Moffi, and Lookman also deserve credit for strong efforts against a mediocre Sao Tome and Principe side. Before the halftime break, Osimhen, Simon, and Moffi had put Nigeria in strong command of the tie.
The Super Eagles beat Sierra Leone 2-1 to begin their AFCON qualification campaign. Last Friday, Sao Tome was defeated 5-1 by Guinea Bissau in the Group A opener. The current result is Nigeria’s largest win in a competitive game, surpassing the previous record of a 10-1 victory over Dahomey (Benin) set in 1959.
Sao Tome and Principe put up a good fight for the opening 45 minutes, but fell victim to the Super Eagles’ overwhelming quality in the second half, which was simply too much for the African minnows. The island nation, which is ranked 183rd in FIFA’s rankings, has only won 10 official competitive games since joining CAF in the late 1970s.
Nigeria now leads Group A, with Guinea-Bissau in second place before they take on Sierra Leone later this evening. Both the Super Eagles and the Djurtus of Guinea Bissau are anticipated to advance to the next round, which will be held in September. The 2023 AFCON will begin in Ivory Coast in June.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
