Nigeria won bronze at the 2025 AFCON
Nigeria’s journey in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations ended heartbreakingly in the semi-finals, and Sunday Oliseh believes Victor Osimhen’s clash with Ademola Lookman played a pivotal role in the team’s downfall.
The incident occurred just after the hour mark in Nigeria’s Round of 16 clash against Mozambique, when Osimhen signaled to the bench that he wanted to be substituted.
Although the Super Eagles defeated Mozambique and later overcame Algeria in the quarter-finals, they fell short against Morocco in a tense semi-final that ended on penalties.
According to Oliseh who made 63 appearances for the Super Eagles, the altercation between Osimhen and Lookman undermined Nigeria’s psychological edge at a crucial stage.
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“Victor Osimhen is world-class, but talent is not a license to destroy team chemistry. Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lights, Lookman became a shadow of himself and we lost the bite,” Oliseh said.
He revealed that the incident broke the confidence of the team.
“When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You destroy the very confidence a team needs to survive a semi-final,” he added.
Oliseh also highlighted Lookman’s statistical dominance before the clash but revealed he couldn’t maintain his momentum because of the clash with Osimhen.
“Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal abuse broke his focus. You cannot expect a playmaker to perform miracles on the pitch when he has been demoralized by his own teammates. The conflict did its damage. We didn’t just lose a game. We lost the psychological edge we needed to win,” he said.
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Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians celebrate Senegal’s AFCON triumph
