Nigeria against Benin Republic: Four things we learned during the AFCON 2025 qualifier.

Nigeria's Super Eagles began their quest to compete in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-0 victory over Benin Republic's Cheetahs on Saturday evening.

With the first half poised to conclude goalless, Ademola Lookman dribbled into the box to open the scoring.

Victor Osimhen came off the bench to provide a second goal for the Super Eagles, and Lookman completed the scoring.

So, what four things did we learn from the game?

1. Lookman, CAF Player of the Year: What a fantastic year Lookman is having. Atalanta's winger made his international debut at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, scoring three goals to help Nigeria earn silver. In June, he was the star of the show as the Serie A team defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final, scoring a hat trick. With two goals against Benin, Lookman is making a strong case for CAF Player of the Year.

2. Osimhen is exactly who he claims to be: Victor Boniface had a bad performance for the Super Eagles against Benin. His hold-up play was inadequate, and he squandered the few opportunities that presented itself. With the visitors threatening to equalise, Austin Eguavoen threw on Osimhen for what is his first game of this season and he responded with a sublime finish to make the game safe.

3. Nigeria now leads Group D with these three points. Libya and Rwanda drew 1-1 and are ranked second and third in the group. The Eagles will travel to Rwanda in three days with the goal of establishing a tight hold on the group.


4. Rohr fails to extract revenge: Under Gernot Rohr, Benin defeated the Super Eagles 2-1 in this year's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. But Rohr would have been eager to complete the double by winning in Nigeria. However, it was not to be, as the hosts easily prevailed in front of their fans.