{"id":882481,"date":"2026-01-02T02:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/02\/we-are-ready-victor-osimhen-talks-tough-ahead-of-super-eagles-knockout-fixture-against-mozambique\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T02:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T08:17:16","slug":"we-are-ready-victor-osimhen-talks-tough-ahead-of-super-eagles-knockout-fixture-against-mozambique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/02\/we-are-ready-victor-osimhen-talks-tough-ahead-of-super-eagles-knockout-fixture-against-mozambique\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe are ready\u201d \u2013 Victor Osimhen talks tough ahead of Super Eagles knockout fixture against Mozambique"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Victor James Osimhen looks on during the Africa Cup Of Nations match between Tunisia and the Super Eagles of Nigeria at Fes Stadium on December 27, 2025 in Fes, Morocco. Photo by Thor Wegner\/DeFodi ImagesxImago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Super Eagles<\/a> and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that the Nigerian National team are ready to take on Mozambique in the next round of the AFCON 2025<\/a> tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 27-year-old has played in all of Nigeria’s three games in Morocco, captaining Eric Chelle’s men to a 3-1 win against Uganda<\/a>, a milestone feat for the Olusosun native.<\/p>\n

The three-time AFCON Champions have now been drawn against Mozambique in the round of sixteen<\/a>, and his confidence in his teammates is sky-high.<\/p>\n

Osimhen mentioned the Super Eagles are one of the biggest teams on the African Continent, and other teams should, in fact, be shivering if they’re drawn against Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Valery Yan and Victor James Osimhen battle for the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations match between Tunisia and Nigeria at Fes Stadium on December 27, 2025, in Fes, Morocco. Photo by Thor Wegner\/Imago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The former Napoli striker knows Nigeria are one of the favourites to win the AFCON title after coming second in Ivory Coast two years ago.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYes, I would count my country as one of the favourites. We are one of the most feared teams in this tournament. Any team can come and play us,\u201d the man who turned 27 three days ago told ESPN<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they are good, they can scale through, but if they are not, we can trample on any team because this team has got the quality to do damage to any big team, any good team in this tournament.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Victor James Osimhen of Nigeria controls the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations match between Uganda and Nigeria. Photo by Thor Wegner DeFodi Images\/Copyright: Imago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cWe respect every team that progresses to the next round, and anyone we meet in the next round, they are going to see the fighting spirit of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe round of 16 is going to be even tougher than the group stages, so the boys are ready to give everything. But the team is ready to face any opponent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe respect any team that scales through, but we are not scared of anybody. It will mean a lot, not just to me, to the whole team, but to Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a long time since this trophy came to Nigeria, and the boys, every training, we are passing a clear message that we came here to get the trophy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want it as badly as every other country that came to win it. Just like the rest of my teammates, that is why we come together to try to make sure that we achieve this objective.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Francis Uzoho, Paul Onuachu, Ryan Alebiosu, Calvin Bassey, Raphael Onyedika, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Igoh Ogbu, Samuel Chukwueze, Bruno Onyemaechi during the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Uganda and the Super Eagles of Nigeria on December 30th, 2025, at Complexe Sportif De Stade, Fes, Morocco. Photo by Segun OgunfeyitimixImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With nine points from their opening three games, the ex-LOSC Lille striker is keen on keeping his teammates grounded.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe don’t get carried away by the hype. We still have a lot of work to do,\u201d Osimhen cautioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going game by game, not letting each win get us carried away.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Victor Osimhen ends the year with 46 goals, ranking joint-5th among the world’s top scorers in 2025<\/p>\n

Elite company \u2728 pic.twitter.com\/qbAmH84icq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) December 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Typically a feisty character due to his pressing and hunger for goals, Osimhen cut a more composed figure against Uganda, and he revealed that came as a result of his being captain for the day.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt feels good. It comes with a huge responsibility, but I think I have gained some experience to be able to lead the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I can see the reason why (team captain Wilfred) Ndidi feels so happy every time we win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coach gave clear instructions for how he wanted us to play against Uganda.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it was important to lead the boys in the right way, to try to give them the motivation they need because for most of them this was the first game they started in this Afcon, so it was important to try to put them in the right frame of mind.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Victor Osimhen warming up ahead of Nigeria vs Tanzania, African Cup of Nations 2025. Credit: ImagoxVictor Modo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eric Chelle opted to rotate against Uganda, given that his side would be heading into the next round as Group C leaders after victories in their first two games.<\/p>\n

He brought in players Francis Uzoho, Ryan Alebiosu, Igoh Ogbu, Raphael Onyedika, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Moses Simon and Paul Onuachu.<\/p>\n

However, Osimhen played 87 minutes against Paul Put’s side despite having a yellow card heading into the game, knowing an addition to his collection would’ve led to a suspension from the game against Mozambique.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria will face Mozambique in the round of 16 and Eric Chelle took a gamble playing Victor Osimhen against Uganda for as long as he did.
\nI asked him why he did do and this is his response:#EuphoriasAFCON<\/a> #AFCON2025<\/a><\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/5j6kKyddyz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joy Ojeabulu (@Euphoria_Sticks) December 31, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The decision stunned many, but Chelle was firm and convinced he made the right decision by not giving the Galatasaray striker any rest. In the same vein, Osimhen agreed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can’t question the coach’s tactics. If he wants me to play, I’m there. If he puts me on the bench and lets others play, I’m okay with that, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t care about the yellow card. Whenever I’m called upon to play, I have to accept the call. I just do what I needed to do, and when it was time to get me off the pitch, he did,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Victor Osimhen in action for the Super Eagles of Nigeria against Gabon at the Stade Prince Moulay El Hassan in Rabat, Morocco. [Photo Credit\/ VictorModoEkene on X].<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amas Obasogie, Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, Salim Fago and Cyriel Dessers were unable to get minutes against Uganda and are the only players from the 28-man squad who’ve not featured in the AFCON 2025 tournament.<\/p>\n

Chelle confirmed the former Rangers striker suffered a thigh injury<\/a>, while Ryan Alebiosu is out of the tournament with a deep leg cut.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Adefolahan Guerreiro” src=”https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f64d35abfd960f4a5a400c4bb517f7f0be6c48b655560fbdd37e59d9fc9ca58?s=80&d=mm&r=g” height=”80″ width=”80″ loading=”lazy” decoding=”async”>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tAdefolahan Guerreiro\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tAdefolahan is a multilingual sports journalist and football writer whose work spans outlets like Soccernet Nigeria, Pure Football UK, and Royalsportz. <\/p>\n

With a sharp eye for detail and a background in college sports, he tells the African football story with depth, flair, and global perspective.<\/p>\n

Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, he brings a cross-cultural voice to his coverage, blending insight with accessibility for readers around the world.
\nHis portfolio includes interviews with top Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.<\/p>\n

A devoted Borussia Dortmund fan, Adefolahan thrives on the emotion and rhythm of the beautiful game. Away from work, he\u2019s a sci-fi enthusiast and series lover who enjoys exploring how sport, storytelling, and culture collide.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Adefolahan Guerreiro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Victor James Osimhen looks on during the Africa Cup Of Nations match between Tunisia and the Super Eagles of Nigeria at Fes Stadium on December 27, 2025 in Fes, Morocco. Photo by Thor Wegner\/DeFodi ImagesxImago Super Eagles and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen has revealed that the Nigerian National team are ready to take on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":882482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39587,2923,2005],"tags":[43884,5857],"class_list":{"0":"post-882481","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-we","8":"category-ready","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-we","11":"tag-ready"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}