A line up consisting of mainly fringe Super Eagles players thumped the Cranes of Uganda 3-1 in Fes on Tuesday night to complete their AFCON 2025 group stage with a perfect record.
With wins against Tanzania and Tunisia in the first two games, Nigeria were guaranteed top spot before the start of this match day, while the Cranes stood with a slim chance of qualifying if they managed to get a win.
Head coach Eric Chelle made eight changes to the side that defeated Tunisia in Fes. Only Victor Osimhen, who turned 27 on Monday, Bruno Onyemaechi, and Calvin Bassey retained their places in the team. Goalkeeper Francis Uzoho started in goal, while there were also starts for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Samuel Chukwueze, Ryan Alebiosu, and Igoh Ogbu, among others.
Despite the wholesome changes, Nigeria started the game well, dominating proceedings. However, the opening goal of the game did not come until minutes before the half-hour mark. Striker Paul Onuachu, moments after missing a big chance, finished off Dele-Bashiru’s cut-back in the 28th minute.
