Cameroon secured the victory and the Group J top spot thanks to Vincent Aboubakar’s goal halfway through the second half, which was enough for a triumph against Namibia which fought bravely in Douala. On the other hand, Ademola Lookman’s brace and the sub Victor Osimhen’s goal brought the Super Eagles the vengeance against Benin – which beat them 2-1 three months ago – as well as the Group D leading position.##NAJAVA_MECA_8322365##In Group J, Kenya and Zimbabwe drew 0-0 at the neutral turf in Uganda. Hence, the duel of Cameroon and Namibia – the two favourites in the group – could have determined which team would take the early command and make a significant step towards Morocco 2025. The Indomitable Lions and the Brave Warriors were, in fact, in the same group during the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, and even though Namibia were undefeated in two matches (2-1 at home, 1-1 in Yaounde), they still ended second, two points behind Cameroon.Although the Indomitable Lions initially had the possession advantage, Namibia showed right away that the home team should watch out for their counterattacks, especially the ones over the left flank led by Deon Hotto, which were often at the beginning of the game. Cameroon boss Marc Brys was forced to make a sub already after 20 minutes – Guy-Marcelin Kilama replaced the injured defender Nouhou.Even though the Indomitable Lions tried to control the pace, Namibia were equally good at keeping the ball and pressuring the opponent through the aforementioned left flank. Hence, no wonder the result at the break was unchanged – 0-0.Fifteen minutes into the second half, Christian Bassogog had a one-on-one with Namibia’s keeper Edward Maova, who made a terrific save despite certain injury issues. Namibia threatened after a counter three minutes later through Prins Tijueza’s strike from a distance, but Andre Onana stopped it.VINCENT ABOUBAKAR SCORES THE OPENER WITH HIS 40TH GOAL FOR CAMEROON!!!#AFCONQ2025 #AFCON2025Q📽️ @GoalsXtrapic.twitter.com/3y82AoXv0h— Football Report (@FootballReprt) September 7, 2024 However, that was only the introduction to Cameroon’s 65th-minute opener! Maova deflected Bryan Mbeumo’s shot, but Vincent Aboubakar was – as often in his career – at the right place at the right time and placed the ball into the empty net for 1-0! The same player could have resolved everything seven minutes before the end, but the Brave Warriors’ custodian stopped him one-on-one. Brys’ crew defended the lead until the very end and, although Namibia pressured and went for the equalizer, Onana was an insurmountable obstacle for the away team, which now sits in the ultimate spot in Group J, while Cameroon are at the top.Harambee Stars Coach Engin Firat confident Murkomen will excel as Sports MinisterDespite their recent poor form, the Super Eagles were firm favourites at home against Benin in the Group D clash. Still, the Nigerians couldn’t have allowed themselves even a pinch of complacency and underestimation, given that the Cheetahs beat them 2-1 three months ago in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Surprisingly, the duo which recently changed their colours – Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho – started the game on the bench, while the quartet – Victor Boniface, Samuel Chukwueze, Alex Iwobi, and Ademola Lookman – led the Super Eagles offence.As soon as the home team got a little more space – after a quarter of an hour – they had a good chance. Lookman received the ball at the edge of the box, went in past the defender, but shot narrowly wide of the left post. In the 27th minute, Chukwueze threatened, unleashing a free-kick effort, but Marcel Dandjinou made a superb stop. The Nigerians used the left flank where Lookman and Bruno Onyemaechi attacked, causing a lot of trouble for Benin’s defence.Beautiful goal from Ademola Lookman for Nigeria 👏🏽pic.twitter.com/kgsPGMbaFI— Dami’ Adenuga (@DAMIADENUGA) September 7, 2024 Four minutes before the break, the Cheetas had a decent free-kick attempt – not enough to beat Nigerian keeper Stanley Nwabali. And when everyone expected the end of the first half, another Lookman’s rush ended in a leading goal! Atalanta forward snatched the ball, running past Abdoul Moumini and finished the action ideally after a fantastic solo effort, giving Nigeria the lead seconds before the break, in the second minute of added time!After the break, Benin were visibly ready to play more courageous football and pursue the leveller, leaving, at the same time, much space for Nigerian fastbreaks. The away team’s captain, Steve Mounie, attempted from the edge of the box but straight into Nwabali’s arms. As the time passed, the Cheetas had more ball in their legs, while the Super Eagles boss tried to refresh his crew by subbing Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Moses Simon in. Victor Osimhen finally got the chance in the 72nd minute for Boniface.Incase you missed it, Here’s Victor Osimhen’s unbelievable acrobatic goal for Nigeria..What a Goal!!! 🤯🤯🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🔥🔥🔥🔥#NGABEN #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/sbZxdt19kc— Ibukun Aluko (@IbkSports) September 7, 2024 And the new Galatasaray forward made the immediate impact for 2-0 only six minutes upon coming in! He used Wilfred Ndidi’s ideal cross, smashing the ball into the net with a first-touch volley! The disheartened Benin conceded the third goal only five later, when Lookman completed a brace heading the ball magnificently into the net after Simon’s cross – 3-0!Ademola Lookman 2nd GOAL vs Benin 🔥#Nigeria 🇳🇬 #AfricaCupofNations #Benin 🇧🇯 pic.twitter.com/iRHt8zcLmB— Soccer CLICKS (@SoccersCLICKS) September 7, 2024 With this victory, Nigeria took the top spot in Group D, given that Rwanda and Libya drew 1-1 yesterday. What’s more important for the Super Eagles is that they hinted that the days of poor form are behind them. It seems that they finally found the recipe for good performances and results, and their fans can be thrilled with the display they showed.AFCON 2025 – QUALIFIERSSaturdayCameroon – Namibia 1-0 (0-0)/Aboubakar 65/Nigeria – Benin 3-0 (1-0)/Lookman 45+2, 83, Osimhen 78/Mauritania – Botswana 1-0 (0-0)/Amar 84/
