Eagles’ striking trio hot for Cheetahs, Amavubi clashes

As the Super Eagles prepare to take on Benin Republic and Rwanda in the final phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series, interim coach Austin Eguavoen will be relying on the searing form of his frontmen Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, and Ademola Lookman, who have been consistently among the goals for their European clubs since the start of the 2024/25 season.

The strikers have been in the best form of their lives and will be expected to prove their mettle against the Cheetahs at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan on Thursday and the Amavubi at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Monday.

The three players already have 34 goal contributions combined, with more than half of the season still to play, coincidentally on eight goals apiece.

Lookman is enjoying his best moment in front of goal and is in the running to dethrone compatriot Osimhen as CAF Best Player of the Year.

The 27-year-old enjoyed a near-perfect 2023/24 campaign and the current season even better, with the player having found the back of the net on eight occasions, providing five assists.

Despite missing the first few games of the season due to future uncertainties at Napoli, Osimhen has entrenched his name as one of the best strikers in modern-day football.

Since joining Galatasaray on a season-long loan on the last day of the transfer window, the former Lille striker has settled in nicely, with his goals and general team play making him the fans’ favourite.

With eight goals and four assists in nine appearances, Napoli’s €130m price tag on the 25-year-old is more than justified.

Completing the fearsome trio is Boniface, who is already Bayer Leverkusen’s top scorer for the season with eight goals.

Aside from registering his name on the scoresheets on those occasions, the 23-year-old has provided an assist, taking his goal contributions to nine in 15 games.

No other country in the world boasts such an intimidating attack, and Eguavoen will be looking to terrorise the Cheetahs in Ivory Coast and devour the Amavubi in Uyo to send a message to the rest of Africa.

This has sent shivers down the spine of Benin Republic coach and former Eagles handler Gernot Rohr, who has expressed his fears ahead of Thursday’s face-off.

“We see that in your list, you have Victor Osimhen, Lookman, Moses Simon, and all the big strikers. For me, Lookman is the best one in Africa to win the Golden Award for the Footballer of the Year; he is a fantastic player. But I hope he will not score against us like he did in the last game in Uyo,” he said.

Coincidentally, both Lookman and Osimhen were on target the last time Nigeria and Benin Republic squared off in the reverse fixture in July, when the three-time African champions defeated their neighbours 3-0 in Uyo.

The fixture will also provide Boniface the opportunity to end his international goal drought.

Nigeria are top of Group D with 10 points, and a win will guarantee them a spot at the next AFCON finals in Morocco, rendering the result of Monday’s game against Rwanda irrelevant.