Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman has played down the rift between him and striker Victor Osimhen following Nigeria’s emphatic 4-0 win over Mozambique in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) round of 16 encounter on Monday, Bold Sports reports.
Although Nigeria cruised to victory to book a place in the quarterfinals, the win came with some drama. Lookman had played a key role in three goals, opening the scoring himself, setting up the second which Osimhen finished, and later providing the assist for the striker’s brace and the Super Eagles’ third.
However, in pursuit of a hatrick, the Galatasaray star was seen fuming with Lookman for not passing the ball, directly shouting at the Atalanta forward and asking to be substituted immediately. Out of frustration, the striker stopped running in the minutes after, strolling round the pitch before he was removed for Moses Simon in the 68th minute.
The Super Eagles went on to get one more goal after the change, with Lookman once again assisting Akor Adams to make it 4-0, securing Nigeria’s place in the final eight.
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“I’ve not seen him. Nothing happened, it was just a discussion on the pitch. I don’t know what the big issue is,” Lookman, who won the player of the match award, said about the incident after the game.
On the striker asking to be substituted, Lookman simply responded: “I didn’t see that.”
Lookman lauded the team’s dominant display, noting their steady progress throughout the tournament: “It’s been great, the team is improving every single game. We scored four goals so that’s positive for us.”
Lookman has now recorded seven goal contributions at this year’s tournament, at least three more than any other player. Explaining his consistent impact at the AFCON, the 28-year-old said he thrives on the pressure that comes with representing Nigeria.
“I get the opportunity to represent my country and I know how much weight that bears so I try that use that pressure to perform.”
With their place in the quarterfinals secured, Nigeria will now await Tuesday’s round of fixtures to discover their next opponents. The Super Eagles will face either Algeria or DR Congo in the last-eight tie scheduled for January 10.
“It’s something to look forward to. Another big battle awaits us so we need to be ready,” Lookman said ahead of the quarterfinals.
On what should be expected, he added: “Same mentality from the team, the mentality to win and be aggressive.”
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