FOUR for Osimhen – What happened the last time the Super Eagles played Sao Tome

FOUR for Osimhen – What happened the last time the Super Eagles played Sao Tome
Credit: Icon Sport

The September 2023 international break has begun and the Super Eagles will be in action against Sao Tome and Principe. Nigeria national football team fans will be beaming with excitement over the prospect of another thrashing.

The Super Eagles team, led by José Peseiro in one of his first official games as manager, recorded a 10-0 win over the Central African nation. It was a solid performance by every standard and many expected the beginning of great things from the Super Eagles.

With a replay in sight for the AFCON 2023 qualifiers, here is how the last game turned out.

First Half: Super Eagles rout begins in ninth minute

From before the first blast of the whistle, it was evident that the Super Eagles team which José Peseiro had lined up to face the Central African nation were more superior.

An XI of high-flying foreign based players took to Stade Adrar in Nigeria's colours against 50th-ranked CAF team and it looked so uneven.

Nine minutes into the game, Victor Osimhen registered the first goal. Missed chances kept the game at 1-0 until the 28th minute when Moses Simon, who assisted the opening goal, tapped in a pass from Osimhen, the scorer of the opening goal.

Two became three when Terem Moffi, making his last appearance for the Super Eagles to date, added a third in the 43rd minute.

It was a half of missed chances and Nigerians were happy with what they thought would be the outcome thanks to the Super Eagles being notorious for failing to get into gear in second halves.

Second half: Super Eagles make history

At this point, Super Eagles fans in the stadium and at home hoped that the clean sheet would not be lost. Little did they know that they were in for a treat.

Sao Tome and Principe had already lost 5-0 to Guinea-Bissau in their opening game of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers and the Nigeria national football team seemed determined to better that scoreline.

Osimhen scored another header in the 48th minute to make it four. This opened the floodgates as more missed chances, saves and goals would see the Islanders lose by 10-0.

Osimhen bagged two more, while Oghenekaro Etebo, Ademola Lookman and Emmanuel Dennis, also playing his last game for the Super Eagles to date, added a goal apiece.

Super Eagles host Sao Tome in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

On 10 September 2023 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the Super Eagles will attempt a repeat of the thrashing they gave Sao Tome and Principe in Stade Adrar, Morocco.

They will be playing the match as a novelty fixture thanks to the fact that they have already secured qualification to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in January 2024 in Ivory Coast. The team camp opened today in Uyo.

In Sao Tome, however, there is a saga brewing.

The Islanders are presenting a squad of foreign-based players for the first time in the nation's history. Clubs in the country are protesting the exclusion of their players and the team's manager, Adriano Eusebio, has explained that he is trying to save face after having lost four of their qualifiers fixtures by large margins.

“This call is already thinking about the World Cup qualifying games that start in November, we have to take into account that, at this time, we will not have championships in the country and the players will be in vacation mode,” Eusebio further explained.

Peseiro's squad, meanwhile, has only one home-based player – Olorunleke Ojo of Enyimba International – and he has received almost no backlash from the NPFL teams.

This article was most recently revised and updated 11 months ago

Daniel Kolade
All-round lover of the beautiful game. Massive football fan, supported Arsenal for decades for reasons that are unexplainable. One day we will win the Champions League!
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