AFCON 2023: Victor Osimhen On His Performance So Far

“I want to help the team with goals of course, but if I am not scoring I am defending. If I am not defending I am fighting for them. I just want my team to be in the right mentality to win this tournament.

Victor Osimhen hasn’t had a lot of happiness in front of goal at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring just once.

However, his team, Nigeria, is on the course to lifting the coveted trophy, having sailed through to the semifinals at the expense of Angola on Friday.

They beat the Angolans 1-0 in a tie at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s goal late in the first half.

Osimhen found the net a quarter of an hour from the end when he headed in a Lookman free-kick, but that effort was disallowed for offside.

“Those who know me, they know I don’t put myself before the team. If my goal comes, they come,” the Napoli striker told broadcaster ‘Canal Plus Afrique’.

“I want to help the team with goals of course, but if I am not scoring I am defending. If I am not defending I am fighting for them. I just want my team to be in the right mentality to win this tournament.

“It is a big prize for us, as an individual and also as a country. So I think we have the right mentality to make sure we bring the trophy home.”

The Super Eagles booked a date with either Cape Verde or South Africa next Wednesday in Bouake as they remain on track to claim a fourth continental title and their first since 2013.

We had to make sure we went into the competition with the right mentality,” added Osimhen, who was substituted in stoppage time after taking several knocks over the course of the match. “We have the quality; we have the squad to win games and reach the final for me.”

Atalanta forward Lookman, the former England Under-21 international, has rather stolen the limelight from Osimhen, his winner against Angola coming after he scored both goals in the 2-0 defeat of Cameroon in the last 16.