Ademola Lookman was named Man of the Match following Nigeria’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Mozambique in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday night in Fès.
The Super Eagles booked their place in the quarter-finals with a dominant display, inspired by the Atalanta winger, who produced a sensational performance—scoring one goal and providing three assists against the Mambas.
Lookman opened the scoring in the 20th minute, calmly finishing after a brilliant assist from Akor Adams. Just five minutes later, the 28-year-old turned provider, setting up Victor Osimhen for Nigeria’s second goal.
Barely two minutes into the second half, Lookman again supplied Osimhen with a perfectly weighted pass, allowing the striker to make it 3-0. He then completed a memorable night by teeing up Akor Adams for Nigeria’s fourth goal in the latter stages of the match.
Lookman’s influence at AFCON 2025 has been outstanding. In just three appearances, he has recorded three goals and five assists, underlining his status as one of the tournament’s standout performers.
The former Everton FC player had earlier been named Man of the Match in Nigeria’s second group game against Tunisia, further highlighting his consistency and importance to Eric Chelle’s side.
With the Super Eagles in rampant form and Lookman at the heart of their attacking play, Nigeria will head into the quarter-finals full of confidence as they continue their push for a fourth AFCON title.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
