NIGERIA’s Super Eagles boosted their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a narrow but vital 1-0 win over Rwanda in a Group C qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Saturday night.
News Point Nigeria Sport repots that Tolu Arokodare emerged the hero of the day, scoring the decisive goal in the second half to hand the three-time African champions all three points in front of a packed home crowd.
The result lifts Nigeria to third place in the group, trailing leaders South Africa by six points, with three games left to play.
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle expressed delight at the outcome, describing it as a morale-boosting win ahead of Tuesday’s crunch clash with South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“I’m happy about the three points. I’m happy about the way the team played in the first half because we had 70% of the possession, and because of that, Rwanda was tired.
“That is why in the second half, they didn’t press us when we scored the goal,” Chelle said in his post-match briefing.
The Malian tactician added that the result gives his side renewed ambition going into the next fixture. “So now we are happy because we won 1-0. And we can go to South Africa with a lot of ambitions.”
The victory was, however, dampened by an injury scare to star striker Victor Osimhen, who limped off during the game. Chelle confirmed that the Napoli forward would undergo a scan to determine the severity of the knock.
On the other side, Rwanda’s coach Adel Amrouche acknowledged the Eagles’ superiority but raised concerns over the match officiating.
“Both teams gave a good fight in the game, but the officiating was not the best,” he told journalists after the game.
“I don’t want to speak much about officiating because of what happened in the past. I don’t want to be banned again. But the decisions could have been better.”
Despite his reservations, Amrouche congratulated Nigeria for securing the win, noting that his side would regroup for their remaining qualifiers.
With Saturday’s victory, Nigeria now sit third in Group C, needing maximum points from their final three matches to secure qualification. Their immediate challenge comes against South Africa on Tuesday, a fixture already billed as a decisive showdown in the race for a World Cup ticket.