Victor Osimhen came through for Nigeria with an 81st-minute header to level the score, tying Segun Odegbami’s record of 23 goals to become Nigeria’s joint-second all-time top scorer. Only Rashidi Yekini, with 37 goals, has scored more. Before halftime, Victor had another chance to give Nigeria the lead but missed a header from Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross.
Despite a late scare from Benin, who came close to pulling off an upset with several dangerous attacks, Nigeria held on. This result brought Nigeria’s tally to 11 points, keeping them in the lead in the group. They had already secured their place in Morocco after Libya defeated Rwanda 1-0 earlier in Kigali.