Victor Osimhen scored twice as Nigeria’s Super Eagles defeated Sierra Leone 3-2 in Monrovia to go top of Group A and book their place in next year’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals scheduled to hold in Ivory Coast.

Coming into the penultimate Group A qualifying match, Nigeria only needed a draw to secure a spot at the AFCON finals and two early goals by Osimhen and a crucial late strike from Kelechi Iheanacho sealed the dramatic win for the Super Eagles.

In the 19th minute, Napoli’s hero Osimhen put Nigeria upfront with a tipped ball over the goalkeeper who was out of position before doubling the score 13 minutes later. However, four minutes before the break, Mustapha Bundu halved the deficit for the hosts. 

Both sides would struggle to find the net again partly due to the rough terrain of the pitch until the cusp of the game. Meanwhile, the drama began six minutes from fulltime when Augustus Kargbo brought Sierra Leone into the game with a well-placed shot from yards out.

Super Eagles could not have asked for a better ending in the game as substitute Iheanacho tapped into an open net a clinical play by Zaidu Sanusi inside the box to score a sensational winner for Nigeria and send the three-time Africa champions to Ivory Coast which would be their 20th appearance when the tournament kicks off.

Second-placed Guinea-Bissau currently on 10 points, two adrift of the Super Eagles joined Nigeria as the two Group A representatives in the 2023 AFCON. Two joined a host of countries including defending champions Senegal, South Africa who are now Ivory Coast bound.

Also, host nation Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Algeria,  Equatorial Guinea, Zambia, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Tunisia, and Mozambique have all secured their tickets to the AFCON scheduled for January.