Alex Iwobi says scoring the winning goal against Zambia is one of the greatest feelings of his career so far.

The Arsenal midfielder came on late in the game for Nigeria, with the side needing a goal to guarantee them qualification to the World Cup. Iwobi was all too happy to oblige, scoring in the 73rd minute to give them the lead and the win.

Iwobi told Own Goal Nigeria after the game: “My goal against Zambia is one of the greatest feeling I ever had. We just need to stay focused and keep the strong mentality going as a team.”

The goal was Iwobi’s second for his country. The first came almost exactly a year earlier, also against Zambia, to open the scoring in the first World Cup qualification game. So in the end, the Arsenal man both started and finished off Nigeria’s road to qualifying.

Iwobi has had big moments in the past with the Gunners too. His senior debut at the age of 19, winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield twice, his performance against Chelsea in the 3-0 win at the Emirates, and so on. But this is probably the biggest moment where he was clearly the one who made the difference.

Hopefully he can now use it to push on and create similar moments with Arsenal. Iwobi has shown he can get goals with his effort against Brighton, as well as a couple in pre-season, it’s just about keeping that going.