AFCON Qualifier: Osimhen Nets Hat-trick As Eagles Maul Sao Tome 6-0

Ballon d’Or nominee, Victor Osimhen netted a hat-trick that took his tally to 10 in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, and also ensured Nigeria finished as group winners in the race to Cote d’Ivoire. Having drubbed their opponents 10-0 in both teams’ first encounter in the Moroccan city of Agadir in June 2022, the Eagles, who had already qualified for the finals no matter the scoreline, were in no danger on the lush turf of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. They expectedly started on the front foot, in front of a capacity crowd of 30,000 spectators, but Semi Ajayi’s firm header off a corner kick by Kelechi Iheanacho in the second minute was punched away by goalkeeper Ronaldo Silva. Silva was by far the busiest of the two goalies on the night, and had to be alert and active four minutes later as England-based forward Taiwo Awoniyi turned and struck a fierce one inside the box. He would however, have no answer when Osimhen, with seven goals in five previous qualifying matches, rose above the defence to head in from close range off a corner kick by Ademola Lookman. Awoniyi’s header missed narrowly three minutes later, but the visiting goal-tender again had to pick the ball from his net in the 27th minute when Lookman received a pass from on-field captain Wilfred Ndidi and sashayed past two defenders before tucking it past the goalie for Nigeria’s second of the evening. Seven minutes into the second half, Awoniyi had the crowd on his feet when he chested a flick by Iheanacho and blasted past Silva from close range. Everything was on a roll and Osimhen scored his ninth goal of the qualifying campaign in the 70th minute, when he won and converted a penalty kick with Silva sent the wrong way. With 10 minutes left, the goal king did his Ballon d’Or nomination no harm with a third goal after a flowing move that had substitute Samuel Chukwueze and Awoniyi contributing. There was still time for Chukwueze to score a sixth, with five minutes left, after he was picked out by fellow substitute Victor Boniface on the left side of the visitors’ defence. Osimhen deservedly won MTN’s Most Valuable Player of the Match award and pocketed the sum of N1 million naira, while Lookman was selected the Man of the Match and picked up a cheque for N1 million from Nigerian Breweries PLC. Next up for the Super Eagles is a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho’s Crocodiles also in Uyo on 17 November.           

AFCON Qualifier: President Weah hails Osimhen’s marksmanship

Seated in the presidential box as Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 3-2 in the Day 5 game of their group for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, President George Oppong Weah of Liberia could not stop singing the praises of Super Eagles’ forward Victor Osimhen who scored a brace. Following his excellent season in which he scored 25 league goals to steer SC Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years, President Weah, the 1995 World, European and African Footballer of the Year had penned a personal letter to Osimhen asking him to keep working hard and breaking new grounds. On Sunday, as he sat in the presidential box of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Paynesville with Nigeria’s Ambassadors to Liberia and Sierra Leone (Excellencies Godfrey Odudigbo and Henry Omakwu respectively), President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, NFF Board Members Rt. Hon. Nse Essien and Sunday Dele-Ajayi, among others, Weah could not stop singing Osimhen’s praises. The Napoli forward did not disappoint, with an outstanding performance, scoring in the 20th and 33rd minutes to steer Nigeria into a 2-0 lead. “That is what I call a striker. Good positioning always. Very athletic and knows where to be each time the ball is coming. He is so strong and a fighter par excellence.” The Nigeria forward is now the leading scorer in the qualifying series with seven goals, and has now racked up an impressive tally of 17 goals in 25 matches for Nigeria at senior level. Osimhen’s seven goals in this qualifying campaign include the one goal he scored against Sierra Leone in Abuja in June 2022 to eventually give Nigeria a 2-1 win and three points on the first day of the series, and four of the 10 goals against Sao Tome and Principe in Agadir, Morocco few days later, on a day Nigeria set a new international win-record. Apart from President Weah, members of the Nigerian community in Liberia as well as other ecstatic fans of Osimhen from Liberia and Sierra Leone trooped to the window area of the Super Eagles’ dressing room trying to force it open while shouting: “We want Victor!” Osimhen’s two goals took Nigeria in front before Mustapha Bundu and Augustus Kargbo drew level, but in added period, Kelechi Iheanacho made good from a dashing run by Zaidu Sanusi that stunned the Liberian defence. Victory took Nigeria to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals with 12 points, with a match to spare, alongside second-placed Guinea Bissau, on 10. The Leone Stars crashed out with only five points. Hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Egypt, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mali are the 14 countries that have qualified for Cote d’Ivoire 2023, with the remaining 10 to emerge in September. Nigeria will host the group’s whipping boys, Sao Tome and Principe in a purely academic exercise in September.