Nigeria 4 Gabon 1: World Cup dream lives on, Osimhen’s miss (and goals) and VAR controversy
Nigeria beat Gabon 4-1 after extra time to reach the final of the African play-offs for a place at the World Cup.
While both teams had opportunities in the first half, with Nigeria mustering nine shots, neither team managed to successfully break down their opponent.
There was controversy in the 54th minute as Bright Osayi-Samuel appeared to pull the shirt of Gabon defender Aaron Appindangoye. However, after a lengthy check by the video assistant referee, no penalty was awarded.
Nigeria did take the lead in the 78th minute. Appindangoye played a loose backpass to goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba. Akor Adams beat Mbaba to the ball and slotted it home. Mario Lemina would level the game in the 89th minute, hitting a strike from the corner of the box that flew past Stanley Nwabali, courtesy of a deflection.
Eric Chelle’s Nigeria should have won the game in the final moments of stoppage time. It was the 112th minute, and Victor Osimhen was played through with no defenders between him and the Gabon goalkeeper. Osimhen reached shooting range and somehow sent the ball yards wide of the goal, leading to the match going to extra time at 1-1.
Nigeria took the lead again in the sixth minute of extra time, courtesy of Chidera Ejuke. Wilfred Ndidi drove through the middle of the park before playing the ball into Ejuke, who fired home. They then doubled their advantage through Osimhen, who struck from wide in the box to make the score 3-1. He then added a second in the 110th minute, chesting the ball down before striking.
The Athletic’s Jay Harris was at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, to analyse the game.
What does this mean for Nigeria?
After a dramatic 48 hours in the build-up to this game, which saw Nigeria’s squad boycott training due to a dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), they have taken another step towards qualifying for next year’s World Cup.
If they had lost to Gabon, supporters would have criticised the timing of their feud and argued whether they could have waited until the end of these play-offs. Those concerns might still be raised if they lose to the winners of Cameroon vs DR Congo, but they have at least temporarily silenced the noise.
Speaking after the game, William Troost-Ekong told reporters he thought the “extra day we had off because we went on strike” might have been beneficial, helping Nigeria “get through”.
The problem for Nigeria is that they faded so quickly after a strong start. Ademola Lookman, Alexander Iwobi and Osimhen linked up effortlessly in the first 30 minutes but then struggled to create any more chances. Nigeria failed to punish Gabon when they were on top. Adams’ strike came from Gabon making a mistake in possession, instead of Nigeria cutting through their defence.
When Lemina equalised and the Gabon fans went wild, it briefly felt like an upset was on the cards. Osimhen’s shocking miss at the end of second-half stoppage time increased the tension. Nigeria blew Gabon away in extra time, though. Gabon could not compete with their strength in depth.
Nigeria will be physically and mentally drained after the last few days, and their next match is on Sunday, when they can book their place in the inter-confederation play-offs. They will hope that everything they have been through will bring them closer together.
How bad was Osimhen’s miss?
The Galatasaray striker had been guilty of making poor choices in front of goal throughout the game, but what happened in the last seconds of stoppage time was baffling and jaw-dropping for all the wrong reasons.
Gabon had the ball on the edge of Nigeria’s box when Ndidi intercepted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s pass. Gabon had pushed everybody into Nigeria’s half, so Ndidi released Osimhen with a simple through ball that left the forward one-on-one with Mbaba. The chance seemed to have fallen to the perfect player — few strikers in world football would be backed more than Osimhen in that situation.
He charged into the box, and Nigeria’s bench leapt to their feet in anticipation of him scoring. However, he shanked a right-footed effort wide. All of Nigeria’s backroom staff and substitutes had their head in their hands in disbelief. Frank Onyeka and Ndidi bent over, hands on their knees. Adams kicked a bottle on the touchline before Samuel Chukwueze started clapping to encourage Osimhen and the rest of the team.
Nigeria’s star player failed to deliver in a huge moment, but he made up for it in extra time.
Where were the Nigeria fans?
Considering the importance of this game, the stadium was surprisingly empty before kick-off. It is difficult to make an exact estimate, but there cannot have been more than 2,500 fans when the teams emerged.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the day before that supporters who had tickets for this winter’s Africa Cup of Nations could attend this game and Cameroon vs DR Congo free of charge. It was clearly an attempt by CAF to convince local Moroccans to come to the Moulay El Hassan Stadium to boost crowd numbers, but it did not have much of an impact.
Around the half-hour mark, hundreds of Gabon fans swarmed into the stand behind Nigeria’s goalkeeper Nwabali. They waved flags, blew whistles and banged drums. It’s no coincidence that the momentum in the first half shifted in Gabon’s favour following their arrival. Aubameyang and denis Bouanga started to threaten on the counter.
When the referee checked the VAR monitor for a penalty at the start of the second half, Gabon fans, who switched ends at the break, kept chanting “penalty” and then howled when nothing was given.
Nigeria fans finally emerged just after that incident in the 59th minute. They were stationed in the upper tier but started banging their own drums and quickly drowned out the boos from Gabon’s support when they arrived. Despite all the late arrivals, it is a shame that even by full time, the stadium was not at half capacity. Maybe the rain deterred people, but they missed a dramatic game.
The way the entire stadium erupted at Lemina’s equaliser made it clear that Gabon’s fans outnumbered Nigeria’s.
There was only a small crowd at Thursday’s game (Jay Harris/The Athletic)
What happened with the penalty incident?
At the start of the second half, Gabon cranked up the pressure with a series of set pieces. When the referee suddenly stopped play as they were about to take a corner and headed over to the VAR monitor, there was confusion within the stadium. The Nigeria bench were unsure what had happened, but television replays showed that Osayi-Samuel appeared to pull the shirt of Gabon’s Appindangoye.
Both sides showed a range of emotions over the next four minutes, which is how long it took the referee to analyse the replay. Nigeria striker Adams immediately ran over to the fourth official to complain, which initially led people to believe he was the guilty party. One of Gabon’s substitutes started clapping in anticipation of his side being awarded a penalty. More Nigeria players walked over to the touchline, including Chukwueze, which prompted substitute Troost-Ekong to try to usher them away. Members of the backroom staff from both sides started arguing with each other while Nigeria coach Chelle shouted, “This is crazy.”
After what felt like an endless wait, the referee ignored the VAR’s recommendation and did not award a penalty. Lemina screamed at the referee in disbelief. It turned out to be a turning point, as Chelle made multiple substitutions afterwards and Nigeria slowly regained control before Adams put his team ahead.
What did they say after the game?
Speaking to reporters, Nigeria defender Troost-Ekong said, “It was great. They had a moment when they equalised. The pressure is on. You feel like the game could change but the team stayed calm throughout the second half. It’s great for the confidence of the boys going into the game on Sunday.”
On the strike, he said, “We have really united as a team. I have been in difficult situations with this team before and we had to make a stand for ourselves, for this team and also send a message to the whole of Nigeria and the next generation of players to stand for what is right.
“We weren’t asking for anything extra. There was a misconception about this special bonus thing but we just wanted to be respected because we have a team that is like a brotherhood but in these big moments, you know the world’s eyes are on you and sometimes you have to take a stand for the right thing.”
Head coach Chelle agreed, telling reporters, “These guys work together. Sometimes they will make mistakes but they will be together. If they win, they are together. If they lose, they are together.
“I’m very proud of these guys because every time, they focus on what I ask and what I want. The word today was ‘passion’.”
What next for Nigeria?
Nigeria will face the winners of Cameroon vs DR Congo on Sunday, 16 November.
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