Osimhen shines as Super Eagles coast to easy win against Sao Tome and Principe

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was brilliant for the Super Eagles as they thrashed Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 in their 2023 AFCON Qualifier in Agadir, Morocco to record their biggest win ever in the history of the country.

Having won the opener of the qualifying series against Sierra Leone in Abuja, Jose Peseiro’s Super Eagles headed to Morocco to face Sao Tome and Principe in a first-ever meeting between the two countries in international football.

Ranked 183rd in the world, it was always going to be a tall order for the Sao Tome and Principe team and they knew exactly what they were facing when Osimhen put the 30th-ranked Super Eagles in front with a header following a precise cross from Moses Simon after only 10 minutes.

Osimhen had the ball in the back of the net shortly afterwards but his effort was ruled out for offside, before a stunning reaction save from Sao Tome goalkeeper Anastacio Bragança denied the Napoli man’s close range header.

It was only a matter of time before the Super Eagles doubled their advantage in the 28th minute through the same combination that opened the scoring. Osimhen ran onto a through ball before stretching all of his sinews to poke the ball into the path of stand-in captain Simon for an easy finish into an unguarded net.

The Super Eagles soon made it three through Terem Moffi in the 43rd minute, with the FC Lorient man showing impressive poise to control a pass from Osimhen and drill a finish into the back of the net for his first goal for his country.

The Super Eagles quickly made it four through the vibrant Osimhen in the 48th minute, with the striker powering home a close range header following a cross by Ademola Lookman.

Oghenekaro Etebo added his name to the scoresheet with a sensational free-kick from 25 yards in the 55th minute of the encounter.

Moffi added a second goal five minutes after, sweeping home a brilliant low cutback from left-back Zaidu Sanusi, before Lookman scored his first Super Eagles goal in the 63rd minute, firing home the rebound after Moffi had been denied by the goalkeeper.

Osimhen completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute as he ran onto a through ball from Alex Iwobi before slotting his effort under the goalkeeper to make it 8-0.

The visitors were not done and added a ninth through the Napoli man, who applied another impressive one-on-one finish, lifting the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper after being played in by captain Ahmed Musa in the 84th minute.

Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis added a 10th from the penalty spot to round off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the game after he had been brought down in the box following a clumsy challenge.

The Super Eagles have now won their first two matches in the qualifiers, and will face a double-header against Guinea-Bissau next in September.