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The Super Eagles striker helped Nigeria win against Benin and brought him closer to Segun Odegbami's tally, but he remains significantly behind Yekini.
Victor Osimhen needed only six minutes after his introduction to get back among the goals for Nigeria 's Super Eagles in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Benin in Uyo.
Nigeria vs Benin
The three-time African champions opened the scoring through Ademola Lookman’s solo strike before the interlude, and it stayed that way until the on-loan Galatasaray forward converted from close range after a well-executed Wilfred Ndidi cross. Lookman netted another to seal the 3-0 success.
The Napoli loanee was on the pitch for six minutes, introduced for an average Victor Boniface in the game's 72nd minute, before finding the net to put nervy minds at ease.
Osimhen's goal was his first for the Super Eagles since scoring in their AFCON 2023 tournament-opening draw with Equatorial Guinea in January, ending a six-match drought without finding the net for the West African nation.
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19:50 - 07.09.2024
Nigeria 3-0 Benin: Galatasaray fans celebrate Victor Osimhen's acrobatic goal
See what Galatasaray fans are saying after Victor Osimhen scored for Nigeria in 3-0 win against Benin Republic.
Where does Osimhen rank among Nigeria’s leading goalscorers?
Despite being tipped to supplant Segun Odegbami (23 goals) and edge closer to Rashidi Yakini’s 37 strikes at the Cup of Nations, Osimhen’s drought left him on 21 goals at the end of the tournament.
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Saturday’s goal was the striker’s 22nd for the national team, leaving him one shy of Odegbami’s 23 and 15 behind Yekini’s all-time feat.
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Breaking down Osimhen’s goals for Nigeria
According to Transfermarkt, 16 of Osimhen's 22 goals have come in 13 AFCON qualifying matches, four have been scored in World Cup qualification fixtures and he has netted one apiece at AFCON and international friendly games.
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What comes next?
Nigeria will face Rwanda in their second fixture of Cup of Nations qualifiers, keen to record consecutive victories. Osimhen, expected to play, will hope to add to his 22 international goals in the September 10 fixture.
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