By Edi Umoh
Nigeria and Egypt swept into the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after crushing their opponents Monday night.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles crushed Mozambique in a commanding 4-0 victory in Fez, while Egypt beat Burkina Faso in a 3-1 victory in Agadir.
The Super Eagles were on top from the off, and talisman Victor Osimhen had an effort ruled out for offside within the first two minutes.
Their pressure eventually told in the 20th minute as Ademola Lookman curled home from Akor Adams’ cutback to break the deadlock.
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Five minutes later Osimhen doubled the advantage, turning in after Alex Iwobi’s incisive play through midfield released Lookman and his ball across took a deflection off Adams.
Mozambique, making their first appearance in the Afcon knockout stage, struggled to contain Nigeria’s relentless attack and offered little threat going forward.
Osimhen made it 3-0 early in the second half, latching on to Lookman’s clever ball across from the left at the back post to score his second of the night.
Adams then capped a fine individual display, powering in Nigeria’s fourth in the 75th minute after more good work by Lookman.
Nigeria, who could have added more, now await Algeria or DR Congo in Saturday’s quarter-final tie in Marrakech (16:00 GMT).
Ademola Lookman (far left) opened the scoring with his third goal at this year’s finals
Nigeria are looking to go one better than the 2023 edition, where they finished as runners-up to hosts Ivory Coast, and entered the knockout stage in Morocco as one of two sides with a perfect record alongside Algeria.
Yet, the last time the Super Eagles started an Afcon so well, in 2021, they exited in the last 16 against Tunisia.
Eric Chelle’s side managed to survive that fate against Mozambique as they put in a performance which underlined their credentials as a challenger for the trophy, becoming the first side to score four goals in a game at this year’s edition of the finals.
Iwobi was a hub of creativity, Lookman and Adams were full of invention as they terrorised the Mozambique defence, and Galatasaray front man Osimhen will have boosted his confidence with two goals from close range.
The Super Eagles continued to pour forward in search of more goals and Mambas goalkeeper Ernan was kept busy before being forced off with injury in the closing stages.
A first clean sheet in six outings at the finals – having conceded four times in the group stage – will also be a point of pride for the West Africans before their last eight tie.
Yet Nigeria’s performance so far at this tournament may not be enough to atone for the disappointment felt by their fans for the team’s failure to deliver qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The Super Eagles may yet get the chance to gain revenge over DR Congo, who beat them on penalties in the continent’s play-off final in November, while a meeting with Algeria will see a repeat of the 2019 semi-final which the North Africans won.
Egypt Beat Burkina Faso
Egypt stormed AFCON 2025 quarterfinals with 3-1 extra-time win over Benin Faso.
Egypt beat Benin 3-1 after extra time at AFCON 2025 to reach the quarterfinals, with goals from Marwan Attia, Yasser Ibrahim and Mohamed Salah deciding the Round of 16 tie.
Egypt advanced to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 quarterfinals on Monday after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Benin in the Round of 16.
The Pharaohs dominated possession for much of the match, but Benin’s disciplined defence and goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou kept the score level deep into the second half. Star forwards Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush were repeatedly denied as Egypt struggled to breach Benin’s compact back line.
Egypt finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when Marwan Attia converted a well-placed cross from Mohamed Hany, giving the Pharaohs a 1-0 lead.
Benin responded in the 83rd minute as Jodel Dossou fired a right-footed shot from close range, levelling the match and sending Benin fans into celebration. With the score still tied in the closing minutes, the match went into extra time as both teams pushed for a decisive goal.
Egypt regained the lead in the 97th minute of extra time when Yasser Ibrahim rose highest to meet a corner from Marwan Attia, heading the ball into the net. Despite Benin’s continued pressure, they remained behind going into the second half of extra time.
In the 120th minute, Egypt sealed the victory on a fast break. Captain Salah carried the ball from deep and finished with a delicate lob over Dandjinou, securing a 3-1 win and confirming Egypt’s progression to the quarterfinals.
The victory capped a strong showing for Egypt, who topped Group B with seven points from two wins and a draw in the group stage.
For Benin, the Round of 16 exit ends their AFCON 2025 campaign, matching their best-ever performance in the tournament.
Seven-time champions Egypt will now prepare for the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash between defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
