AFCON 2025: Victor Osimhen Claims Man of the Match After Dominant Display in Super Eagles’ Quarter-Final Win

After what appeared to be a brief on-field disagreement following Nigeria’s round-of-16 clash against Mozambique, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen responded in emphatic fashion by delivering a match-winning performance against Algeria — earning the Man of the Match award in the process.

Osimhen was instrumental in Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over the Desert Foxes in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, playing a decisive role as the Super Eagles booked their place in the semi-finals.

The Napoli forward was at the heart of both goals, scoring once and providing an assist in a composed and dominant Nigerian display. Despite Nigeria’s failure to convert several clear-cut chances in the first half, Osimhen ensured the pressure eventually told.

Just two minutes into the second half, he broke the deadlock with a trademark finish. Timing his run to perfection, Osimhen rose highest to meet Bruno Onyemaechi’s pinpoint cross, directing a powerful header past goalkeeper Luca Zidane to give Nigeria a deserved lead.

Ten minutes later, the striker turned provider. Showing awareness and unselfishness inside the box, Osimhen latched onto a defence-splitting pass from Alex Iwobi before squaring the ball for Akor Adams, who rounded Zidane and finished into an empty net.

The goal and assist took Osimhen’s tournament tally to four goals and two assists, placing him second overall for goal involvements at AFCON 2025. Only teammate Ademola Lookman has contributed more, with seven direct goal involvements so far.

Beyond the statistics, Osimhen’s relentless work rate, physical presence, and leadership were vital in Nigeria’s control of the contest. Algeria were kept at bay throughout and failed to register a single shot on target over the 90 minutes.

With this commanding performance, Osimhen not only silenced any lingering talk of internal issues but also reaffirmed his importance to Eric Chelle’s side as Nigeria march on in the tournament.

The Super Eagles will now face host nation Morocco in the semi-finals, while Senegal take on Egypt in the other last-four encounter, as the race for the AFCON 2025 title intensifies.

Samuel Ahmadu

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.

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