Former African Footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen scored a superb hat-trick as Nigeria boosted their qualifying hopes and broke Benin’s hearts amid a thrilling conclusion to Group C Tuesday.
The visitors began the day in pole position but made the worst possible start in Uyo, falling behind inside the first three minutes.
A loose pass in midfield allowed Samuel Chukwueze to snatch possession and thread a superb through ball to Osimhen who obliged with a typically decisive finish.
Chukwueze remained a constant thorn in the visitors’ side, and he was again the architect when the lead was doubled as half-time approached.
No-one across the past week’s World Cup qualifiers will have delivered a better cross than the winger’s inch-perfect inswinger, which Osimhen rewarded with a towering back-post header.
Benin simply had no answer to the Galatasaray striker’s pace and power, and he sealed their fate just a few minutes into the second half by heading home brilliantly from Moses Simon’s floated free-kick.
Substitute Frank Onyeka volleyed in an excellent fourth, allowing South Africa to seize top spot and a guaranteed World Cup berth, with Benin dropping from first place to third.
Nigeria now await the final ranking of CAF runners-up before finding if they are one of the four teams left battling out for a FIFA Play-off Tournament slot
