Alex Iwobi has admitted that he almost cried after scoring his historic goal for Nigeria last month.

On 7 October, Iwobi came on in the 66th minute for Nigeria during their 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia.

Seven minutes later, the 21-year-old netted the one and only goal of the match, sending his side through to the World Cup. The Super Eagles were the first African side to qualify.

Thinking back to that historic goal, Iwobi admits that he found it hard to contain his emotion at the time.

“It’s so hard to describe, you know what I mean,” he told Arsenal Player. “When I actually scored the moment was crazy, I remember running off celebrating. I almost cried, I actually almost cried to see how the fans were reacting, to see my mum and dad in the stands, it was just an amazing feeling.”

The goal against Zambia was the forward’s second for Nigeria in 12 caps after he got his first call-up in 2015. He’d previously represented England. Coincidentally, he made his debut appearance for his country on 8 October 2015 – almost two years to the day before he scored the goal that sent Nigeria through to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

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Iwobi is currently away with his national team who face Algeria and Argentina on 10 and 14 November.

The clash against Algeria is their final World Cup qualifier, not that the outcome matters now that Nigeria have progressed automatically, and the game against Argentina is a friendly.

Iwobi’s made four Premier League starts for Arsenal so far this season and has struggled for game time. The goal for his country will have been a massive boost.