By Enitan Abdultawab
As Nigeria prepares to face Gabon in the upcoming World Cup qualifier, the historical encounters between the two nations are beginning to be reminisced.
Historically, the Super Eagles have held the upper hand, winning five of their nine meetings, drawing three, and losing just once.
The most remarkable and significant meeting between these two was in 2005 – a match that ended 2-0 in favour of the Super Eagles.
Their first clashes date back to 1965 during international friendlies in Gabon, with Nigeria claiming a convincing 4-1 victory after an initial 2-2 draw.
Subsequent encounters over the years have showcased a mix of tight contests and dominant performances. Notably, Nigeria secured a 3-0 win at home during the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and a 2-0 victory in an international friendly in 1999.
There have been a couple of competitive World Cup fixtures between these two nations. In January 1989, Nigeria edged Gabon 1-0 at home but suffered a 2-1 defeat in Gabon just a few months later. More recently, encounters in the 2000s produced a 1-1 draw in 2004, followed by a 2-0 win for Nigeria in 2005.
The five times the Super Eagles have emerged victorious against the Panthers include :
29 Aug 1965 Gabon v Nigeria W 1-4 International Friendly
07 Jan 1989 Nigeria v Gabon W 1-0 FIFA World Cup
26 Mar 1994 Nigeria v Gabon W 3-0 Africa Cup of Nations
21 Nov 1999 Gabon v Nigeria W 0-2 International Friendly
26 Mar 2005 Nigeria v Gabon W 2-0 FIFA World Cup
The Super Eagles had to rely on the brilliance of Victor Osimhen on last matchday of the African qualifiers against Benin Republic, scoring three goals before Frank Onyeka added another to make it four goals to nil and sealing their qualifications to play the playoffs. The 2024 AFCON finalist joined Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon.
Although Gabon played well in the 2026 World Cup qualifications, they were unable to overtake Côte d’Ivoire for first place in Group E.
They ultimately had to settle for second place in the group (25 points), only one point behind their rivals from Ivory Coast (26 points).
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