A strike by Paul Onuachu and a brace by midfielder Raphael Onyedika lifted a remarkably different Nigeria team to a 3-1 win over Uganda in their final Group C encounter at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
The win guarantees Nigeria earns all 9 points available in the group phase. In 2021, a swashbuckling Nigerian team under Augustine Eguavoen won all group games before falling to Tunisia in the Round of 16.
Chelle’s Depth
Coach Eric Chelle made several changes to the squad that defeated Tanzania and Tunisia in their earlier games, including Onuachu, starting ahead of Akor Adams, and the striker connected perfectly with a pass from the left by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in the 28th minute to give Nigeria the lead.
Two minutes earlier, veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango had stopped a point-blank effort by the Trabzonspor forward.
Ryan Alebiosu, Igor Ogbu, and Raphael Onyedika made their debuts. Also, Francis Uzoho, Paul Onuachu, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru all started their first game to show the team’s depth.
“For now, I have a little pain in my head on who to choose because everyone in this team can play. “I took the risk to play Osimhen, I know it was a gamble. I say I trust this guy, and this is my choice,” – Eric Chelle on his team selection for a win vs Uganda
Raphael Onyedika Aces Test
Midfielder Raphael Onyedika, playing his first game at this AFCON, scored Nigeria’s second in the 62nd minute after connecting well with a pass by Samuel Chukwueze. Chukwueze and Raphael recreated a similar process four minutes later, leading to Onyedika, who plays his club football in Belgium, scoring his second and Nigeria’s third.
Onyedika has started only three competitive games for Nigeria and has scored three goals. He scored his first goal in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic.
“I cannot explain it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life.”
Victory gave the Eagles the maximum nine points from their three matches, and they will now certainly meet the third-placed team in Group F, with both third-placed finishers in Groups A (Comoros) and B (Angola) already eliminated. This could be any of Cote d’Ivoire’s Elephants (Cup holders), Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, or the Mambas of Mozambique.
That match comes up on Monday, 5th January in Fès.
