Nigerian winger Moses Simon will aim to notch his 10th goal for the Super Eagles when he makes his 75th appearance for the three-time African champions in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin Republic this evening at the Stade Félix-Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Tonight’s encounter will kick-off at 7pm Ivory Coast time (8pm Nigeria time) with Senegalese official Issa Sy selected by CAF as referee.
The 29-year-old Nantes forward, who made his international debut nine years ago in a friendly against Uganda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium—a match the Eagles lost 1-0—is currently on a 15-game goal drought for Nigeria.
Despite a productive outing in his last club match, where he scored and provided an assist in Nantes’ 3-2 loss to RC Lens in Ligue 1 just before the international break, Simon’s last international goal came on October 16, 2023, in a friendly against Mozambique.
Simon’s goals for the Super Eagles have come against a variety of opponents, including Niger, Swaziland, Cameroon (twice), Seychelles, Sudan, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique.
Interestingly, Nigeria has never lost a match with Simon on the scoresheet, and the winger will be hoping to extend that unbeaten run on Thursday.
A victory against Benin would effectively make next Monday’s final qualifier against Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo a formality.
With the Eagles already secure in their qualification, the match will serve more as a chance for pride, while Rwanda will be looking to salvage something from the encounter.
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