Nigeria beat Tanzania 3-1 as Arokodare grabs brace

Nigeria beat Tanzania 3-1 as Arokodare grabs brace

Tolu Arokodare needed just 14 minutes of second-half football to turn Nigeria’s difficult evening against Tanzania into a 3-1 victory. The striker came off the bench in Uyo and scored twice, giving the Super Eagles a valuable win in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Nigeria opened the scoring through Alhassan Yusuf in the second minute, with Ademola Lookman providing the assist. It was the kind of start the home side needed after their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in September.

But Tanzania refused to make the evening straightforward. Alphonce Msanga equalised in the 32nd minute after being set up by Novatus Miroshi, sending both teams into the break at 1-1.

Nigeria had started brightly but now needed a different response.

Arokodare makes the difference

Head coach Éric Chelle introduced Arokodare and Moses Usor at half-time, replacing Tochukwu Nnadi and goalscorer Yusuf. The changes proved decisive.

Arokodare restored Nigeria’s lead in the 52nd minute, finishing a move involving captain Wilfred Ndidi with a backheel. Eight minutes later, he struck again, converting a pass from Usor to extend the advantage to 3-1.

The striker’s impact was particularly important with Victor Osimhen unavailable because of injury. Rather than simply filling a place in the attack, Arokodare gave Chelle a timely reminder of the options available to him.

The two goals also showed how quickly a substitute can change the direction of a match. Nigeria had struggled to turn their early advantage into control, but Arokodare’s introduction gave the hosts the cutting edge they needed.

What the victory means next

The result moves Nigeria to second place in Group L with six points, one behind leaders Guinea-Bissau, who have seven. Madagascar have two points, while Tanzania have one.

Tanzania have already qualified for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts alongside Nigeria’s fellow hosts, Kenya and Uganda’s tournament partners. However, they remain involved in the qualifying group.

Chelle was pleased with the victory but did not pretend the performance was perfect. After the match, he acknowledged that there were still areas to improve and stressed that Nigeria must go to Tanzania looking for another win.

The Super Eagles will meet the Taifa Stars again on Tuesday, November 17, at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.

Arokodare has given Nigeria the goals and the three points. The next test is whether the Super Eagles can carry that second-half sharpness into the return fixture, where another result could strengthen their position in the group.