Three-time African champions, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, revived their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, on Friday night.
The victory over Adel Amrouche’s men was the Super Eagles’ first in the qualifiers in five matches. Nigeria moved to fourth position in Group C with six points following the win.
It was also the first time the West Africans had beaten the Amavubi on their soil after four attempts.
In this piece, Completesports.com’s Adeboye Amosu highlights the major talking points from the matchday five encounter.
1. Osimhen Is Truly the Super Eagles’ Talisman
The Super Eagles had scored only four goals in their previous four outings in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Victor Osimhen, who was unavailable for Nigeria’s opening four games against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Benin Republic, made an immediate impact upon his return.
It took the powerful striker just 11 minutes to remind everyone of his importance, as he poked home Ademola Lookman’s fine delivery for Nigeria’s opener.
The 26-year-old then capitalised on a defensive error from Thierry Manzi late in the first half, calmly slotting the ball past the onrushing Amavubi goalkeeper, Fabrice Ntwari.
Osimhen is now Nigeria’s second all-time top scorer with 25 goals—two ahead of the legendary Segun Odegbami and just 12 shy of Rashidi Yekini’s record of 37.
2. Super Eagles Thrive Under Pressure
The Super Eagles entered this game under immense pressure following their poor start to the qualifiers. Three points from four games were far below expectations for the three-time African champions.
Nigeria also had a poor record in Kigali, failing to beat the Amavubi in three previous attempts.
However, the team rose to the occasion, producing a dominant display to secure a crucial victory. When under pressure, the Eagles always seem to find a way to elevate their performance.
3. Eric Chelle Outsmarts Amrouche
There was no doubt that Eric Chelle won the tactical battle against his Algerian counterpart. Both coaches were leading their teams for the first time in this encounter—Chelle was appointed Super Eagles head coach in January, while Adel Amrouche only took charge of Rwanda earlier this month.
Chelle got his tactics spot on, from his starting lineup to his in-game management and substitutions.
The Super Eagles started in a 4-2-3-1 formation before switching to 4-3-3. A notable surprise was Ola Aina’s deployment at left-back instead of Bruno Onyemaechi.
Alhassan Yusuf, naturally a midfielder, also adapted well at right-back after replacing Bright Osayi-Samuel in the second half.
4. Super Eagles’ Perfect Game Management
Nigeria controlled the game from the first whistle, restricting Rwanda to their own half for large parts of the first half.
The players showcased their experience in the second half, slowing the tempo and dictating play.
Their disciplined approach frustrated the hosts, forcing them into misplaced passes and speculative long-range efforts.
5. Defenders Show Class
For the first time in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles kept a clean sheet, having conceded five goals in their previous four matches.
Captain William Troost-Ekong marshalled the defence superbly, limiting Rwanda to very few shots on target.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was virtually untested throughout the game, a testament to the defensive solidity in front of him.
2 Comments
I know its too early to draw a conclusion. However, from the benefit of hindsight drawn from SE previous matches i can say Eric chelle seem to be the missing link and mesiah the team as been searching for ?
I agree with Four four two views