Tremendous Eagles coach Éric Chelle mentioned that the workforce’s foremost striker, Victor Osimhen, performed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring harm.
Despite the fact that the Galatasaray striker had some bodily issues in the course of the event in Morocco, he nonetheless stood out as probably the greatest gamers, scoring 4 objectives and offering two assists in six matches.
His excellent performances earned him a spot within the Confederation of African Soccer’s Staff of the Event.
Out of the six video games Osimhen performed in AFCON 2025, he performed the complete 90 minutes in two matches, each in opposition to North African groups Tunisia and Algeria.
Chelle defined that Nigeria didn’t carry out at their greatest within the semifinal in opposition to Morocco because of a demanding journey schedule.
He additionally talked about that Osimhen saved taking part in regardless of his harm, and the workforce’s medical doctors fastidiously managed his situation.
“After the sport in opposition to Algeria, which we performed in Marrakesh, we travelled again to Fez, then from Fez we went to Rabat, and we performed one other match simply 48 hours later.
“So we didn’t have a cryotherapy chamber with us to get better,” Chelle mentioned on RMC Sport’s After Foot.
“It’s true that the restoration was actually robust. We flew from Marrakesh to Rabat, however at this stage, it’s actually the small particulars that matter.
“After two coaching classes, some relaxation after the sport, and one other coaching session earlier than the subsequent match, the workforce felt actually drained.”
Nigeria’s foremost attacking gamers, Alex Iwobi, Osimhen, and Ademola Lookman, struggled to match their earlier performances within the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in opposition to the Atlas Lions.
He added, “When you watch the match, Akor seems actually drained; he missed lots of balls. Victor is difficult as a result of folks must know he performed within the Africa Cup of Nations whereas injured.
“He had a small tear in his hamstring, so it was essential to deal with it.”
Osimhen, who led Nigeria of their video games in opposition to Uganda and Morocco, didn’t play within the third-place playoff in opposition to Egypt, though he was included within the workforce listing for that match.
