Rise of a Football God

During halftime, Eric Chelle had only a brief word with his players.

"Go out there and get the victory".

FWEEE!

When the players went back to the pitch, the referee's whistle signaling the continuation of the game, Nigeria switched to a different gear.

Ademola Lookman dazzled as the outstanding player so far, turning his man inside out repeatedly with his electric dribbling. Alex Iwobi was also amazing with his playmaking, Osimhen also pressing fiercer than usual.

But still, with a certain man in the lineup, Nigeria failed to tick enough to get over a tight Ugandan defense.

They were missing one man in the lineup, Samuel Moses.

In recent weeks, there was a trend moving online, a question of if Nigeria was becoming too dependent on Sam's brilliance, putting unnecessary pressure on his young shoulders.

The boy was just 20, could he take on so much pressure?

Maybe they had a point and the Nigerian team proved it today as they failed to score in Sam's absence.

Uganda stuck with their ultra defensive approach and it was working.

50 minutes, no goal…

60 minutes, no goal…

70 minutes, no goal…

And then Eric Chelle finally pulled the trigger.

The Nigerian head coach finally made substitutions, taking off Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi in the 72nd minute with the intent to rest them for the round of 16 game, introducing Sam and Viktor Boniface.

On the touchline, while Sam was being introduced, the noise came.

BOOM!

The Nigerian fans cheered at the top of their lungs, welcoming their star player to the pitch.

"My goodness. The boy is just 20 but he has the aura of a veteran already".

"Can anyone remind me when last a 20-year-old had such a reception to being introduced in a game?"

"Sam has truly made this Nigerian squad his own".

"But against this Ugandan defense, can he do it today?"

Sam and Boniface jogged into the pitch, Sam quickly meeting some of his teammates to relay instructions from the coach.

And then, it started…

FWEEE!

Tactically, Eric Chelle didn't change anything, leaving his team to play in the way they did normally. The only thing that changed was 2 players.

As soon as Boniface and Sam entered the game, it changed.

This was Boniface's first playing opportunity in the AFCON tournament as he played second fiddle to Osimhen in the squad lineup, and so eager to impress, the Bayer Leverkusen striker pressed the Ugandan defense like a monster.

That aggressive pressing was actually what did it.

Bam!

"Boniface's done it!"

"He's stolen the ball…, now it's a loose ball!"

Boniface pounded having timed it to perfection, intercepting a Ugandan pass. Immediately, Ugandan defenders swarmed around him but instead of going at it alone, he rather backheeled the ball backward.

Behind him was… Samuel Moses.

"…!"

Tens of thousands of Nigerian fans around this stadium immediately rose to their feet as Sam burst into the scene, taking Boniface's pass.

Immediately, they rushed, trying to press him but that was a mistake.

Sam was ultra press resistant.

BZZZ!

With a la croqueta, he exploded through their middle and then with an incredible elastico dribble, Sam cut through the last man in defense.

Nigerian fans around the stadium placed their hands on their head in disbelief, stunned by what they were seeing.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Ugandan goalkeeper charged out but keeping his cool, with another la croqueta, Sam rounded the goalkeeper before poking into an empty net.

"GOALLLLLL…!!!" The stadium roared to life.

7 minutes after coming on, in the 79th minute, Sam broke the deadlock.

Jogging towards the corner flag, he spread his arms, doing the Jude Bellingham celebration and embracing the energy of the fans as they chanted his name. Sam felt on top of the world.

But that was not it, not yet…

3 minutes later, in the 82nd minute, Chukwueze played a corner into the box and Viktor Boniface rose above all the Ugandan defenders.

He was off balance though as one of the Ugandan center backs rose after him, pressing him. Because of this, instead of heading towards goal, Boniface improvised, heading the ball sideways.

Instantly after the ball was pushed by Boniface…

Bzzz!

Filled with adrenaline, Sam's body moved instinctively as he went on a reckless diving header.

Bam!

Sam hit the ball into the net with his head before anyone could react.

"GOALLLLLLL…!!!"

For the second time this game, the stadium roared to life.

A Viktor Boniface brace of assist, and a Samuel Moses brace, Nigerian fans were having a field day as the Ugandan defense was finally unrivaled.

The game came to an end 0-2 as after putting in more of what he usually did into the game for the remaining minutes, Sam secured another man of the match award, pushing Nigeria to the knockout stages of the AFCON 2025 tournament.

Nigeria's game was the last game of 29th.

…

30th December…

Botswana took on DR Congo first, as after a thrilling game across 90 minutes, both countries settled for a point each after playing an incredible 3-3 draw.

On the same day, Tanzania took on Tunisia, another game that ended in a draw as both countries settled for a 1-1 draw after an incredible end to end game for 90 minutes.

Both games were thrillers, but the last game played today was not as thrilling as the others, Senegal going bonkers against a helpless Benin Republic side.

Against their opponents from Benin, Senegal controlled the game from beginning to end, ending the first half 0-1, while a Sadio Mane second half rampage to get a brace settled the game, shooting Senegal to the knockout stage.

…

31st December…

On the first game of 31st December, Equatorial Guinea took on Algeria. After an intense game across 90 minutes, Algeria ran away with a narrow victory, winning 1-0 against their opponents.

On the same day, the last day of the matchday, Sudan took on Burkina Faso only to run away with a 3-1 victory.

Gabon also took on Ivory Coast. The game was harder than expected for the reigning champions, but they managed to escape with a draw courtesy of a stoppage time goal from them to secure a 1-1 draw.

And then the last day of the group stage, Mozambique vs Cameroon.

The Cameroonians went on a rout after Mozambique got a red card in the first half, destroying them for the rest of the game and securing a 5-0 victory.

The Mozambique players closed the game in tears.

And with that, the group stage of the AFCON 2025 tournament was over.

16 countries progressed to the Round of 16 stage in Morocco.