Fisayo Dele-Bashiru netted a late goal to give the Super Eagles of Nigeria a narrow 1-0 victory over Libya in an AFCON qualifying match held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Friday.
Dele-Bashiru’s decisive goal came in the 87th minute of a tense and thrilling encounter.
With this win, the Super Eagles now top Group D with seven points, while Benin Republic sit in second place with six points after thrashing Rwanda 3-0 at home.
The Super Eagles came close to breaking the deadlock early in the 10th minute when Alex Iwobi forced a save from the Libyan goalkeeper.
As the match progressed, Frank Onyeka took a powerful shot, which the goalkeeper parried into the path of captain William Troost-Ekong, but he missed the opportunity, sending the ball over the bar.
Shortly before half-time, Iwobi had another great chance to put Nigeria ahead with a shot from inside the box, but the Libyan goalkeeper made a point-blank save.
In the second half, Ademola Lookman found the back of the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Just as the match seemed destined for a draw, Dele-Bashiru who came in as a substitute produced a moment of magic in the 87th minute, unleashing a powerful strike from outside the box that flew past the Libyan goalkeeper and into the net, sealing the victory for the Super Eagles.