Nigeria’s Super Eagles delivered a statement performance on Saturday night, overpowering Algeria’s Desert Foxes 2–0 to secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations at the Grand Stade de Marrakech.
The quarter-final victory ended Algeria’s impressive defensive run in the tournament, with the North Africans having conceded just once before facing Nigeria. However, relentless pressure, tactical discipline and ruthless finishing in the second half proved too much for the Desert Foxes to handle.
The win now sets up a highly anticipated semi-final showdown between Nigeria and tournament hosts Morocco.
Despite dominating large spells of the first half, the Super Eagles went into the break without a goal to show for their superiority. Nigeria controlled possession, dictated the tempo and repeatedly threatened the Algerian goal, but resolute defending — including multiple goal-line clearances by Ramy Bensebaini — kept the scoreline level at halftime.
Nigeria’s breakthrough came just two minutes after the restart. Bruno Onyemaechi delivered a precise cross from the left, and Victor Osimhen rose above his markers to power home a trademark header in the 47th minute, sending the Nigerian fans into celebration. The strike took Osimhen’s tournament tally to four goals.
Ten minutes later, the Super Eagles struck again with a move that underlined their attacking quality. Alex Iwobi carved open the Algerian defence with a clever outside-of-the-boot pass, Osimhen unselfishly squared the ball across goal, and Akor Adams calmly rounded goalkeeper Luca Zidane before rolling the ball into an empty net to make it 2–0.
Algeria struggled to respond and failed to register a single shot on target throughout the encounter, even after second-half substitutions that included the introduction of Baghdad Bounedjah. Nigeria, on the other hand, continued to press for more goals, with Adams later hitting the post and other chances flashing narrowly wide.
Iwobi was outstanding in midfield, pulling the strings with intelligence and composure, while Calvin Bassey marshalled the defence with authority. Although Wilfred Ndidi picked up a yellow card that could be a concern ahead of the semi-final, Nigeria’s backline remained solid and organised to see out the contest.
Late introductions, including Moses Simon, helped the Super Eagles control the closing stages with confidence and maturity.
With this emphatic victory, Nigeria march into the AFCON 2025 semi-finals full of belief. As they prepare to face hosts Morocco, the Super Eagles will draw confidence from their dominant display and growing momentum as they chase a fourth continental crown.
