A first-half strike by Paul Onuachu and a second-half brace by midfielder Raphael Onyedika earned Nigeria a 3–1 win over Uganda in their final group game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria went into the game with qualification for the round of 16 already secured and, despite coach Eric Chelle’s heavy rotation, left nothing to chance as they capped a perfect group-stage campaign while also eliminating the Cranes in the process.
Coach Chelle rang eight changes to the side that beat Tunisia, handing a debut to Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Alebiosu, while Victor Osimhen captained the team in the absence of Wilfred Ndidi.
Onuachu, starting ahead of Akor Adams, connected perfectly with a pass from the left by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in the 28th minute to give Nigeria the lead, just two minutes after veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango had stopped a point-blank effort from the Trabzonspor forward.
Before then, Nigeria had dominated play extensively and, as early as the ninth minute, Samuel Chukwueze’s shot came off the defensive wall after good work by Moses Simon. A teasing pull-back by Chukwueze in the 25th minute narrowly missed the head of Onuachu.
Simon himself came close with four minutes left in the first period, as his effort again struck the wall after the Eagles poured forward in numbers.
In the second half, Rogers Mato came close to connecting with a good cross but failed to make contact. Nigeria regrouped and sustained pressure on their opponents, who had won four of their previous eight encounters before Tuesday evening’s match in Fès.
