The three-time AFCON champions have started the tournament in style even without their star attacker.
Nigeria winger Samuel Chukwueze has admitted Victor Osimhen’s presence in the attack is missed.
The Super Eagles No.9 had to withdraw from the Africa Cup of Nations upon testing positive for coronavirus and returned to his club, Napoli, days before the tournament in Cameroon began.
Osimhen supplied five goals and six assists in five AFCON qualifiers to help Nigeria qualify. However, while his absence is an immense loss, Augustine Eguavoen’s men have won both of their opening AFCON games. They sit on top of Group D on six points, with a last 16 spot already booked.
Samuel Chukwueze dedicated his goal to his friend Victor Osimhen who suffered a facial injury in November and was dropped from the 🇳🇬 squad after he tested positive for COVID-19. #3Sports #AFCON2021 #TeamNigeria pic.twitter.com/cQaGpiCsVJ
— #3Sports (@3SportsGh) January 15, 2022
‘We would have been scoring three to four goals’
But if Osimhen was in the team, Chukwueze feels he would’ve helped the Super Eagles score ‘so many goals’ already.
“Nobody will not miss Victor because he is a beast on the field of play, I miss him,” the Villarreal star told PUNCH about Osimhen.
“I wish he was here. I think by now we would have been scoring three to four goals, so many goals.”
Chukwueze, who was on target in Nigeria’s 3-1 win Sudan on Saturday, added that he has set himself a goals and assists target for AFCON.
He added: “I need to get more goals and assist, I need to do more for the success of the team, it is not only one goal that I will score at this tournament. I already set my target for the tournament, the goals and assists I need to get.”
Nigeria next face Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday at the Stade Roumde Adjia in Garoua, Cameroon.
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