Osimhen leads Nigeria into must-win World Cup play-off clash against DR Congo

Osimhen leads Nigeria into must-win World Cup play-off clash against DR Congo

Prolific striker Victor Osimhen will be Nigeria’s key weapon on Sunday when the Super Eagles face the Democratic Republic of Congo in a decisive 2026 World Cup qualifier in Rabat.

The showdown is a fight for survival, with the winners advancing to a six-nation intercontinental play-off tournament in Mexico next March, while the losers will see their Qatar 2026 dreams end.

Nigeria and DR Congo were granted a second chance after finishing as the best runners-up from the nine group stages of African qualifying. In Thursday’s semi-finals, Osimhen struck twice in extra time to inspire a 4-1 victory over Gabon, while Chancel Mbemba sealed a late 1-0 win for DR Congo against Cameroon.

Osimhen, the 2023 African Player of the Year, is in blistering form, having netted a hat-trick in the 4-0 demolition of Benin that secured Nigeria’s play-off berth. The Galatasaray forward, who still wears a protective face mask, tormented the Gabonese defence and could have scored six.

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“I was devastated after that miss in added time,” he admitted. “Sometimes I score unbelievable goals, sometimes I miss easy ones. I apologised to the team and promised to score in extra time — and I did.”

Nigeria have qualified for the World Cup six times since 1994 and are determined to avoid missing back-to-back tournaments after losing a play-off to Ghana three years ago.

Despite Nigeria being 19 places above DR Congo in the FIFA rankings, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle is wary.

“The win over Gabon is already history. DR Congo are formidable opponents,” he said. “The key is passion — we must rediscover it to succeed.”

The Congolese have reached the World Cup only once, in 1974 as Zaire, but French coach Sebastien Desabre has built a resilient side led by captain Mbemba of Lille.

“We have experience. Nothing here is by chance,” Desabre said. “We will give everything against Nigeria.”

Sunday’s clash at the 22,000-seat Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium will be the first-ever World Cup qualifying meeting between the two nations.

Bolivia and New Caledonia have already booked intercontinental play-off spots, while Iraq or UAE will represent Asia. Jamaica and Panama are favourites from CONCACAF.

Osimhen leads Nigeria into must-win World Cup play-off clash against DR Congo