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| Image/ Nigerian, Sevilla Striker Akor Adams |
Akor Adams, the Nigerian striker for Spanish La Liga side Sevilla, announced his arrival on the international stage by scoring a crucial debut goal for the Super Eagles, helping to keep Nigeria's 2026 FIFA World Cup dreams alive with a 2-1 victory over Lesotho.
The vital match, played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, saw Lesotho designated as the home team despite the neutral venue, a situation arising from FIFA's stadium standards regulations. The encounter proved to be a tense affair, ultimately decided by second-half efforts from Nigeria's captain and a promising new striker.
The Super Eagles broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when captain William Troost-Ekong calmly converted a penalty kick. The lead was then doubled in the 80th minute through a memorable moment for debutant Akor Adams, who found the net to mark his first senior appearance for Nigeria.
Despite a late consolation goal from Lesotho's Hlompho Kalake in the 82nd minute, Nigeria managed to hold on for a hard-fought three points. The victory was a significant improvement from the teams' previous meeting in the qualifying series, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The 24-year-old striker received his first senior national team call-up from head coach Eric Chelle for the qualifying matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic. His inclusion came on the back of a growing reputation at his club, Sevilla, where he had recently opened his goal account with a decisive strike in a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. Adams continued his fine form by scoring against FC Barcelona in a 4-1 victory for Sevilla just before the international break, describing the moment as "historic".
According to FIFA, Nigeria secured a vital three points, bringing their total to 14 points after 9 matches and maintaining their position in third place in the CAF Group C standings.