Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s 86th minute goal has given the Super Eagles of Nigeria a deserved 1-0 win over the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in a 2025 AFCON Qualifying match in Uyo.
Nigeria dominated the encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium and had a shout for a penalty waved aside in the opening 10 minutes as Augustine Eguavoen’s side aimed to finish off the clash early on.
Despite the dominance, the north African visitors remained resolute at the back and soaked the pressure, forcing the game to remain goalless going into the half-time break.
The trend continued in the second half, with the Super Eagles creating chances only to be thwarted by a stubborn Libyan defence.
Nigeria thought they broke the resistance a little after 70 minutes when Ademola Lookman had the ball inside the Libya goal, only for the in-form Atalanta star to see his effort ruled out for offside.
At that point, it seemed Libya would succeed in leaving Uyo with a valuable point. But the Super Eagles finally found the breakthrough in the 86th minute through Dele-Bashiru.
The Lazio midfielder timed his run perfectly to meet a Moses Simon ball into the penalty area, smashing home a first-time volley past the Libya goalkeeper to seal a crucial win for Nigeria.
The result sends Nigeria back on top of Group D in the qualifying series with seven points from three matches, a point ahead of Benin Republic that got a 3-0 win over Rwanda in the other match in the group played on Friday.
Rwanda and Libya now find themselves needing to win the return legs of today’s respective matches in order to remain in with a chance of making it to Morocco next December.