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Super Eagles Cruise Past Mozambique as Osimhen–Lookman Spat Steals Spotlight in AFCON Last-16 Win
- Authors
- Olonade Philips
Super Eagles Cruise Past Mozambique as Osimhen–Lookman Spat Steals Spotlight in AFCON Last-16 Win
Nigeria sealed a commanding place in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a resounding 4-0 victory over Mozambique on Monday night, January 5, at the Complexe Sportif de Fes in Morocco. Despite the emphatic scoreline, the match was overshadowed by a touchline drama involving Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
The Super Eagles started brightly, with Lookman opening the scoring in the 20th minute to take his tournament tally to three goals. Just five minutes later, Osimhen doubled Nigeria’s advantage, ending his brief goal drought and putting the team firmly in control. The Galatasaray striker struck again immediately after halftime, completing his brace in the 46th minute to move level with Lookman on three goals at the tournament.
Nigeria’s dominance was capped in the 75th minute when Sevilla forward Akor Adams powered home his first AFCON goal, once again from a Lookman assist. It was his third assist of the night.
However, tension flared midway through the second half. In the 63rd minute, Lookman attempted to dribble past a defender during a promising attack but lost possession. Osimhen, visibly frustrated and chasing a hat-trick, confronted his teammate, shouting for the ball to be released earlier. Captain Wilfred Ndidi stepped in to defuse the situation but was briefly shoved aside as tempers rose. A viral clip later showed Ndidi consoling Lookman after the exchange.
Following the incident, Osimhen appeared less involved, making fewer attacking runs when Lookman was in possession. Five minutes later, head coach Eric Chelle withdrew Osimhen, replacing him with Moses Simon. At full-time, Osimhen headed straight down the tunnel rather than joining the team celebrations, with Nigeria Football Federation officials intervening to keep teammates at bay.
The episode sparked widespread debate among fans online. While some criticised Osimhen’s conduct as unprofessional and disrespectful to his captain, others argued that Lookman could have released the ball quicker to help Osimhen complete his hat-trick. Still, many agreed that Nigeria’s overall performance, and Lookman’s decisive contributions, were the real positives from the night.
With a dominant win secured and qualification assured, the Super Eagles will now turn their attention to the quarterfinals, hoping to restore harmony within the squad as they chase continental glory.