The Cheetahs of Benin Republic stunned Nigeria’s Super Eagles with a 2-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier held in Abidjan on Monday.

For the second consecutive match, the Super Eagles entered the second half trailing. Despite not starting strongly, Nigeria took the lead through Raphael Onyedika’s debut goal for his country. However, Calvin Bassey’s error allowed Jodel Dossou to equalize for Gernot Rohr’s team.

In the third minute of added time in the first half, Brest attacker Steve Mounie capitalized on a failed corner clearance by Nigeria to score from inside the box.

After taking a surprising 2-1 lead just before halftime with goals from Dossou and Mounie, Benin managed to hold off Nigeria’s intense second-half pressure to secure a historic victory.

Nigeria had dominated previous encounters with Benin, winning 11 of the last 13 matches, with the other two ending in draws. However, the Super Eagles have struggled significantly in this World Cup qualifying campaign under new coach Finidi George, earning only 4 points from their first 4 matches.

This unexpected result leaves Nigeria in fifth place in Group C, trailing 4 points behind leaders Benin with just 4 games left. Missing out on the 2026 World Cup would be a huge blow for Nigerian football, having qualified for the last 4 tournaments.

Yet, this night belonged to the determined Benin squad and their lesser-known stars like goalscorers Dossou and Mounie, who celebrated passionately on the pitch after the final whistle.

The next round of matches is in March 2025, with the Eagles set to travel to Kigali to face Rwanda and then Zimbabwe.