Osimhen & Lookman Run Riot as they got the Job done against Mozambique. And then some. Nigeria roared into the Africa Cup of Nations quarter finals with a statement 4-0 demolition of Mozambique in Fes, with Victor Osimhen’s deadly double and Ademola Lookman’s masterclass sending a brutal warning to their rivals.
This was a proper hiding. Lookman opened the scoring after 20 minutes, before turning provider for Osimhen’s quickfire first. The Napoli hitman grabbed another after the break, with Akor Adams smashing in a fourth to seal a rout that’s the biggest in a knockout game at this tournament since 2010. Mozambique were simply out of their depth.
“We knew we had to start fast and kill the game,” said Osimhen, who started without his protective mask but wisely slipped it back on before finding the net. “The connection with Ads (Lookman) is there. When we play like this, we’re a hard team to stop.” The stats back him up: Nigeria had a whopping 22 attempts on goal. Mozambique managed just two on target all night. It were a mismatch.
The Super Eagles, smarting from that World Cup qualifying failure, were back to full strength after boss Eric Chelle rested players in the group stage. And it showed. Lookman, in particular, was unplayable. His pass for the opener, slicing Mozambique apart, was pure quality. He ended the night with a goal and three assists. Not bad for an evening’s work.
For Mozambique, their historic first knockout appearance ended in a brutal reality check. They was physically overpowered and couldn’t live with Nigeria’s pace and power. Chelle’s men now march on to Marrakesh for a Saturday showdown.
They’ll face either Algeria or DR Congo. You can bet they’ll be praying for a shot at the Leopards, who dumped them out of World Cup contention on penalties just months ago. A chance for revenge would add serious spice.
But the bigger picture is this: Nigeria have metamorphosed from a shaky qualifier into a genuine title contender. With Osimhen scoring for fun and Lookman in this kind of form, they’ve got the firepower to blow anyone away. The Super Eagles are soaring, and the rest of Africa have been put on notice.