WJR News

Ademola Lookman, the Nigeria striker, scored two goals to lead his team to a 3-0 victory against Benin in their first 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. This performance adds to Lookman’s impressive year.

Victor Osimhen got the other goal in the Group D tie in Uyo in a comprehensive win for the Super Eagles despite going into the game with uncertainty over who will be their next coach.

Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar got the only goal as they edged Namibia while Mauritania scored late in Saturday’s other qualifier to beat Botswana 1-0 in Nouakchott.

At the stroke of halftime, Nigeria scored the opening goal with a brilliant individual effort from Lookman. He skillfully cut inside from the wing and struck the ball into the net.

Sure, here is a more detailed rewrite of the text: Victor Osimhen made an impressive start to his season after making a loan move from Napoli to Galatasaray. In his first appearance, he scored the second goal in the 78th minute.

Osimhen demonstrated his striking prowess as he found himself unmarked in front of the goal and skillfully converted a deflected cross from Wilfred Ndidi into the back of the net. His clinical finish showcased his ability to seize opportunities and make an impact on the game.

Lookman added the third five minutes later with a clever angled header from Moses Simon’s cross as Nigeria gained a measure of revenge for their 2-1 loss in Benin in a World Cup qualifier three months ago.

Lookman, earlier this week, was the sole African player included in the list of 30 Ballon d’Or nominees. This recognition was due to his outstanding performance, scoring a hat-trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final in May, and his contributions to Nigeria’s journey to the Cup of Nations final in the Ivory Coast in February.

The Super Eagles had Austin Eguavoen in charge as caretaker coach after last week’s announcement of the appointment of former Germany international Bruno Labbadia proved premature.

The Nigerian Football Federation has retracted its previous announcement, stating that failed negotiations over the new coach’s salary led to the deal falling through.

The build-up to Cameroon’s clash against Namibia in Garoua in Group J was also overshadowed by off-field issues, as the arm wrestle over control of the team between the country’s sports minister and football federation (Fecafoot) continued.

The sports ministry in Cameroon is responsible for paying the salary of the national coach. A contentious issue has arisen following the appointment of Belgian Marc Brys as the coach without consulting Fecafoot president Samuel Eto’o. This decision has led to an ongoing conflict concerning the authority and decision-making process within the country’s football association.

It took 65 minutes to break down Namibia’s defence with a clever ball over the back four finding Bryan Mbeumo, whose shot was saved but veteran striker Aboubakar tucked away the rebound.

Mauritania’s goal came in the 84th minute from Sidi Bouna Amar.

Qualifiers for the 2025 finals in Morocco continue over the next three days, after which each of the 48 participating countries will have played two matches.