Nigeria bulldozed Algeria 2-0 in Marrakesh on Saturday, with goals from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams in each half sending the Super Eagles through to a semifinal against hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday.
Osimhen opened the scoring in the 47th minute after being picked out by an excellent Bruno Onyemeachi cross at the backpost, with the Galatasaray striker then setting up strike partner Adams to round goalkeeper Luca Zidane and finish calmly for Nigeria’s second 10 minutes later.
It sends the Super Eagles — chasing their fourth continental crown — through to a mouth-watering semifinal with Morocco, themselves looking to end a half-century wait for an AFCON crown, after the tournament hosts saw off Cameroon in the capital in their semi on Friday.
Nigeria utterly dominated their fancied North African foe at the Stade de Marrakesh, making a mockery of pre-match match forecasts of a tight match between two talented attack-minded sides with a totally one-sided victory.
While Algeria failed to register a single shot on goal until deep into the second half, Nigeria tested Zidane and his defenders on seven occasions before the break, translating their dominance of the ball — over 67 percent of possession over the first half — into encouraging goalscoring opportunities.
Ademola Lookman shot straight at Zidane after 22 minutes following fine build-up from the inventive Adams, while a Bright Osayi Samuel cross moments later evaded Osimhen as they latter sought to serve warning of his threat in the air.
Zidane was forced to intervene to deny Osimhen moments later as the Eagles sought to open the scoring, and they came even closer in 28 minutes when Ramy Bensebaini cleared off the line from Calvin Bassey at the backpost, with VAR being consulted to clarify whether the entirety of the ball had entered the goal.
As the chances piled up for Nigeria, Rayan Ait-Nouri pulled off a magnificent last-gasp challenge to deny Osimhen with the goal beckoning after fine interplay with Lookman. The pair appeared to put their differences behind them after their tiff in the Mozambique game, with Alex Iwobi, who forged the opening, also growing in prominence in the match.
Adams, through on goal, lifted a left-footed effort over Zidane’s bar on 35 minutes as Nigeria had another glorious opportunity to break the deadline, prompting questions at the break as to whether the Super Eagles would regret not opening the scoring despite long spells of dominance.
Concerns were quashed two minutes into the second half, when Onyemeachi found space on the left and sent in a delicious cross that met Osimhen, leaping outstandingly, and moving in the air, to meet the ball at the back post to send a downwards header beyond Zidane for his fourth goal of the tournament.
In the 53rd minute, the pair combined again in a similar fashion, but this time Osimhen’s header was tame and straight at the goalkeeper, although Zidane was powerless four minutes later when Adams added a second.
Nigeria snatched the ball from Algeria in midfield, and Iwobi’s outrageous defence-splitting pass with the outside of his boot, found Osimhen, who demonstrated his trademark composure and rare selflessness to feed Adams. The Sevilla forward, who had to attend to his hospitalised mother during the week, rounded Zidane calmly before adding the Eagles’ second.
Algeria, whose performance was one of the most disappointing of the tournament, made three changes in the aftermath of the goal as they sought a way back into the contest, replacing the anonymous Riyad Mahrez, but still failed to test a Nigeria defence that had been fingered as their weak link ahead of the tournament.
The Eagles suffered a setback on 69 minutes when captain Wilfred Ndidi hobbled off with injury, but they could still have added to their tally in the 80th minute when Osimhen’s cutback met the advancing Adams but, with Zidane beaten, he could only send his header against the post.
Nigeria, defeated finalists in the Ivory Coast two years ago, will now again meet the tournament hosts as they look to advance to a first AFCON title since 2013.
ESPN
