Super Eagles unstoppable as Mozambique fall 4–0 in AFCON knockout clash

Three-time African champions, Nigeria, delivered a commanding performance at the Complexe Sportif de Fès on Monday night, cruising to a 4–0 victory over Mozambique to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The Super Eagles dominated the Round of 16 encounter from start to finish, with Victor Osimhen scoring twice, while Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams also found the back of the net in a one-sided contest.

Nigeria wasted no time asserting their authority. Osimhen thought he had opened the scoring as early as the second minute, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Moments later, Alex Iwobi tested Mozambique goalkeeper Ernan with a long-range strike as the Super Eagles piled on early pressure.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 20th minute, following a moment of brilliance from Iwobi, whose defence-splitting pass released Akor Adams. The Montpellier forward unselfishly squared the ball for Lookman, who calmly slotted home to register his third goal of the tournament.

Five minutes later, Nigeria doubled their advantage. Iwobi again initiated the move, finding Lookman on the left flank. His low cross, aided by a slight deflection, fell kindly to Osimhen, who tapped in from close range to make it 2–0.

The Super Eagles continued to dictate the tempo for the remainder of the first half, creating further chances through Adams and Lookman, but went into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion.

Any hopes of a Mozambique fightback were extinguished almost immediately after the restart. Lookman once again turned provider, slicing through the defence before laying the ball perfectly for Osimhen, who made no mistake in firing home his second goal of the night and Nigeria’s third.

Eric Chelle’s side capped off a scintillating display in the 75th minute, with Lookman completing a superb all-round performance by assisting Akor Adams, whose fierce strike crashed into the roof of the net to seal a comprehensive 4–0 win.

Nigeria could have added to the scoreline in the closing stages but eased through the remainder of the match, completing a dominant outing that took their tournament tally to 12 goals — the highest by any team so far at AFCON 2025.

Lookman Named Man of the Match

Unsurprisingly, Ademola Lookman was voted Man of the Match, marking his second MOTM award at the ongoing tournament, following his earlier honour against Tunisia in the dramatic 3–2 group-stage victory.

The Atalanta forward has now scored three goals and provided multiple assists in Morocco, underlining his importance to Nigeria’s attacking play with another outstanding performance against Mozambique.

The Super Eagles will now shift focus to Saturday’s quarter-final clash, where they will face the winner of the Round of 16 encounter between Algeria and DR Congo.