The Napoli striker says Ghana’s coaching staff called their defenders to engage in tough physical battles with him.
Nigeria and Ghana drew 0-0 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying tie on Friday. Victor Osimhen made several runs into the Black Stars’ box, but the hosts’ defenders managed to stop him every time.
Speaking to Elegbete TV on Sunday, the 23-year-old elaborated on his rough night at the Baba Yara Stadium.
”Mostly the assistant coach will come from the bench and say ‘go hard on him.
“Come on him, Amartey and the other guy (Djiku). They tried to do the assignment very well but they don’t know we have deadly players that can get the job done. We were really happy with our performance.”
Osimhen was not successful in beating Ghana’s defensive pair of Daniel Amartey and Alexander Djiku. However, with the next game taking place in Nigeria, he might get more chances to show his goalscoring abilities on Tuesday.
Asked about the allegations of him trying to deceive the referee into awarding a penalty, Osimhen said: ”I’m not the kind of player that makes simulations. But when you hit me, for sure, I’ll go down. When the referee don’t call the foul, it’s normal to react as a player. I don’t care what people are saying about me. The game was a massive one. The whole Ghanaian fans came out for their team, and we were pushed to get something out of the game.
”I wasn’t intimidated by the crowd as I’d played in San Siro where it was sold out. I know the kind of pressure it is. Kudos to the team, chief coach and back room staff for motivating us ahead of the game.”
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