By Nurudeen Obalola
Victor Osimhen limped off in the first half but the Super Eagles of Nigeria managed without their talisman to secure a 1-0 victory in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash against Rwanda in Uyo on Saturday.
Substitute Tolu Arokodare struck early in the second half to earn only the Super Eagles’ second victory in seven group matches as they moved up to third, six points behind leaders South Africa.
Osimhen put the ball in the net in the eighth minute but he was flagged offside, although replays showed it was a close call and video assistant referee (VAR) was not in use.
The Galatasaray striker continued to lead the line as the Super Eagles dominated possession but struggled to find the breakthrough, until he had to be taken off with an injury.
Osimhen was first injured in the 28th minute after an innocuous looking tackle, and returned to action after a brief medical treatment.
He then went down again in the 32nd minute, before he was replaced by Cyriel Dessers two minutes later.
Without Osimhen, the Super Eagles became even more blunt in the attack as head coach Eric Chelle’s tactics were comfortably nullified by the Amavubi.
Chelle made the Super Eagles more offensive at the start of the second half by taking off one of his two defensive midfielders Frank Onyeka and replacing him with Arokodare, who joined Wolves just five days ago from Genk.
The towering striker then made all the difference six minutes into his introduction, acrobatically scrambling home after his initial effort was blocked following good work from Bruno Onyemaechi.
The goal forced Rwanda to abandon their ultra-defensive approach and the game opened up for the Super Eagles, who were only prevented from stretching their lead by Amavubi goalkeeper Fiacre Ntwari.
With the result, the Super Eagles took their tally to 10 points, one off second-placed Benin Republic.
The Super Eagles next face South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday in a fixture the three-time African champions must win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
