Striker Victor Osimhen ignored the Green Eagles' celebration during Nigeria's 4-0 sweep of Mozambique in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Monday, heading alone to the locker room after the victory. In the quarter-finals, the Green Eagles will face the winner of the most anticipated confrontation in the tournament between Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Published on: 01/06/2026 - 12:21

So far, Nigeria has presented a fierce attacking face in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, scoring 12 goals in four matches and presenting its credentials as a prominent candidate to win the title.

However, problems surfaced on Monday during the final 16 match against Mozambique, which ended 4-0 for the Eagles, when a dispute between Osimhen and Ademola Lookman almost turned into a fight before coach Eric Schell decided to replace Osimhen.

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The scene caused a huge uproar on social media. In the 63rd minute of the match, while the Green Eagles were leading 3-0, the team's star Osimhen, who scored two goals from two passes to Lookman, blamed the latter for not giving him an easy ball, and the matter almost ended in a face-to-face confrontation between them.

The masked striker remained angry before he was replaced three minutes later by his teammate Moses Simon, the French player for Paris FC. He did not participate in the Nigerian team gathering on the field after the final whistle to celebrate the qualification to the quarter-finals.

Osimhen went directly to the dressing room, then left later alone and was the first to arrive in the mixed area without making any statement to reporters.

The player had expressed his annoyance with Lookman in the ninth minute of the match, considering that the latter was late in passing the ball to him even though he was in a suitable position to shoot.

Read also: Algeria’s match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the African Cup of Nations

"Victor is our number one weapon."

For his part, the Atalanta Bergamo striker commented on the incident after the match, saying: “I have not seen Osimhen yet, but I do not think it is very important. Victor is our first weapon, and everyone knows that. He is a great striker. So I do not see that all of this is of great importance,” in an attempt to downplay the incident.

"There is no room for selfishness"

As for the national team coach, Malian Eric Schell, he did not deny the incident, but he refused to delve into it, saying: “This issue relates to my management of the team and what happened on the field,” adding: “The matter will remain within the group. There is no need for me to tell you what happened or what will happen,” firmly answering a journalist’s question about the coach’s comment on the altercation.

Shiel added: "The team and the group are above any consideration. There is no room for individual or selfish behavior here. Every player is required to commit and work in the same spirit. If being removed from the squad in the next match is the way to consolidate this principle, we will not hesitate to do so."

In the quarter-finals, the Green Eagles will face the winner of the most anticipated confrontation in the tournament between Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Tuesday in Rabat (16:00 GMT).

With agencies

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