Osimhen double helps Super Eagles beat S’Leone to qualify for AFCON

The Super Eagles have secured their place in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after they defeated Sierra Leone in the matchday 5 of the qualifying series.

Victory Osimhen was in full action and scored two goals as the Eagles edged Sierra Leone 3-2 to qualify for next year’s tournament.

The competition tagged the 2023 AFCON was earlier billed to hold this month but because of the weather conditions in host country Cote d’Ivoire, it will take place in January.

The match, which was played in Liberia, saw the Eagles take a two-goal lead in just 32 minutes, with Osimhen opening the scoring and doubling the lead as well.

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Mustapha Bundu reduced the tally for the home side, scoring in 41 minutes and helping Sierra Leone mount pressure on the Nigerian defence, which led to their equaliser through Augustus Kargbo on 84 minutes.

The match was heading to a draw when substitute Kelechi Iheanacho simply tapped in to score in added time to clinch all three points for the Super Eagles.

With the win, Nigeria now lead Group A with 12 points ahead of Guinea Bissau that have 10 points.

Both Nigeria and Guinea Bissau have qualified for next year’s AFCON while Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Príncipe are out, with one game left for all to play in the qualifiers.

The TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 is scheduled to kick off on January 13 and will run until February 11 when the final will be played.

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