LED by Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria’s form at the Africa Cup of Nations has offered cause for optimism ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight quarter-final against Algeria despite reports of unrest in the squad.
News Point Nigeria Sports reports that the Super Eagles arrived in Marrakesh for the last-eight tie as the top scorers at the tournament with 12 goals in their four games so far.
Wins against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in the group stage were followed by a 4-0 demolition of Mozambique in Fes in the last 16, the biggest victory for anyone in an AFCON knockout tie since 2010.
Osimhen and Lookman, winners of the African player of the year prize in 2023 and 2024 respectively, have played starring roles with three goals each as Nigeria target Cup of Nations success as a tonic for their World Cup woes.
“The team is improving every single game,” said Lookman, who has also scored four goals at the tournament, after the Mozambique victory.
Nigeria have started strongly despite the team returning to Morocco reeling in the wake of their failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Having only just sneaked into the play-offs for the tournament in North America, the Super Eagles saw their hopes ended in a penalty shoot-out loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat in November.
They will therefore miss a second consecutive World Cup, having appeared at six of the previous seven competitions.
That represents a fiasco for a football-mad nation with by far the largest population on the continent, but the Cup of Nations has a tendency to throw up unexpected success stories.
Ivory Coast’s incredible revival at the last AFCON two years ago, when they were on the brink of elimination in the group stage as hosts before coming back to win the trophy with victory against Nigeria in the final, is the perfect example.
Of the nine African nations that qualified directly for this year’s World Cup, Ghana and Cape Verde failed to make it to Morocco for the Cup of Nations.
Nigeria, meanwhile, are hoping to claim a fourth continental crown to soothe their disappointment at not being among the teams bound for the United States, Canada and Mexico.
This week marks a year since Eric Chelle, a former Mali player and coach, took over the Super Eagles, but all he can do is try to keep his focus on Algeria amid much off-field noise.
Lookman had to play down suggestions of a bust-up with Osimhen in the last-16 win, when the latter appeared angry at his teammate for not giving him the ball.
The Galatasaray striker was then substituted and took no part in victory celebrations on the pitch with his teammates at the end of the game.
Atalanta forward Lookman later told journalists: “He’s our number one guy, everyone knows this. Top striker, top player, the rest is not really important.”
Chelle must hope harmony is restored for the game against Algeria, a repeat of the 2019 AFCON semi-final which the Super Eagles lost 2-1 in Cairo to a late Riyad Mahrez goal.
However, preparations for the showdown have been overshadowed by reports of a dispute over bonuses, with multiple sources in recent days saying the team had not been paid money promised following their first four matches.
That led to talk of a training boycott, but reports on Thursday said the issue had been resolved, with Nigeria Football Federation president Ibrahim Musa Gusau telling ESPN that “payments had been processed”.
A Nigerian team spokesperson confirmed to News Point Nigeria Sports that the squad was training as planned in Marrakesh, as Chelle and his players eye a place in the semi-finals.