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When Nigeria stepped onto the pitch for their AFCON Last 16 clash with Mozambique, the stakes were simple: win and advance, or falter and face the backlash of a football?mad nation. What nobody expected was a 4-0 masterclass that secured qualification and reshaped the entire tournament’s power rankings. It was the kind of performance that shifts a team from “contender” to “clear and present threat,” and the numbers back it up.
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After this performance, the real question is echoing across Africa: Are the Super Eagles now the team to beat?
From the first whistle, Nigeria played like a side that had finally unlocked its full potential. The passing was crisp, the pressing relentless, and the finishing ruthless. Mozambique were overwhelmed long before the scoreboard reflected it.
Ademola Lookman opened the floodgates with a composed strike, setting the tone for what would become Nigeria’s most dominant AFCON knockout performance in years. Victor Osimhen – the talisman, the warrior, the heartbeat – followed with a brace that showcased both his predatory instincts and his unshakeable confidence.
By the time Akor Adams smashed in the fourth, the match had turned into a statement.
Nigeria’s attack has always had talent, but this was the first time in the tournament that it looked cohesive, fluid, and frightening. Lookman was electric between the lines, Iwobi dictated tempo with authority and Osimhen bullied defenders into submission.
While the goals will dominate headlines, the defensive performance might be the real story. Mozambique didn’t register a single shot on target. Not one.
The back line was disciplined, aggressive, and perfectly in sync. Nwabali was literally on holiday for the 90 minutes – that’s how little he was troubled.
Champions aren’t just built on goals. They’re built on clean sheets, and Nigeria now has a defence that looks capable of carrying them deep into the tournament.
The Super Eagles looked like a team that has finally found its rhythm, its identity, and its edge. The attack is humming, the midfield is commanding, and the defence is suffocating. Most importantly, the players are carrying themselves with the unmistakable aura of a side that knows exactly how good it can be.
And that’s why the question isn’t just rhetorical anymore. It’s real. It’s loud. It’s unavoidable.
Nigeria’s commanding play and progression to the quarter finals shifted the balance of the entire tournament. It was the kind of performance that forces analysts to rewrite predictions, that makes rivals rethink their tactics, that turns quiet confidence into open fear.
AFCON is unpredictable. Giants fall. Underdogs rise. But every tournament has that one moment when a team steps forward and declares itself a genuine threat.
If Nigeria keep playing with this level of authority, then yes – the Super Eagles aren’t just contenders. They are the standard. They are the storm on the horizon. They are the team everyone else is suddenly trying to avoid.
AFCON has officially been put on notice.
