‎Nigeria cruise, Egypt survive as AFCON quarter-final line-up takes shape

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‎Nigeria and Egypt booked their places in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 on Monday, but they did so in contrasting fashion, with the Super Eagles cruising comfortably while the Pharaohs were pushed to extra time.
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‎Nigeria produced one of their most convincing displays of the tournament, sweeping aside Mozambique 4–0 to underline their growing status as title contenders. Victor Osimhen was the star of the show, scoring twice, while Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams also found the net in a dominant round-of-16 performance.
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‎The Super Eagles set the tone early, with Osimhen seeing a second-minute effort ruled out by VAR for offside. The warning went unheeded, and Nigeria soon took control. Lookman opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a calm finish before Osimhen doubled the lead five minutes later, finding space in the box to score his first of the night. Nigeria went into the break firmly in command.
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‎Any hopes of a Mozambique comeback were extinguished immediately after the restart. Lookman turned provider in the 47th minute, setting up Osimhen to complete his brace and effectively settle the contest. Akor Adams added a fourth goal in the 70th minute to cap a polished team performance, as Nigeria recorded their fourth consecutive win of the tournament. Mozambique struggled to create chances, with winger Geny Catamo well contained by a disciplined Nigerian defence led by Calvin Bassey. Nigeria will now face either Algeria or DR Congo in the quarter-finals.
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‎Earlier in the day, Egypt were forced to dig deep before edging Benin 3–1 after extra time at the Grand Stade d’Agadir in a tense and absorbing encounter. The Cheetahs matched the seven-time champions for long spells, showing organisation, energy and courage against one of the tournament favourites.
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‎Benin frustrated Egypt throughout a goalless first half, with goalkeeper Saturnin Dandjinou producing a series of fine saves as Mohamed Salah and his teammates struggled to find space. Egypt eventually broke through in the 69th minute when Marwan Attia fired in from the edge of the box following a move sparked by Salah. Benin refused to surrender and were rewarded in the 83rd minute when Jodel Dossou capitalised on a defensive lapse to equalise and force extra time.
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‎Egypt’s experience told in the additional period. In the 97th minute, Yasser Ibrahim rose to head home from a right-wing cross, restoring the Pharaohs’ lead. As Benin pushed forward in search of another equaliser, they left gaps at the back, and Mohamed Salah sealed qualification deep into stoppage time with a composed counter-attacking finish.
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‎While Benin exit the competition with pride after a fearless showing, Egypt march on and will face the winner of the quarter-final tie between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. With Nigeria and Egypt both through, the knockout phase continues to gather momentum as Africa’s heavyweights edge closer to continental glory.
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