Super Eagles forward Moses Simon has praised Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, insisting that the confrontation between the two players is now firmly behind them, SportPremi reports.
Both players were involved in an on-field altercation during Nigeria’s 4-0 win over Mozambique in their Round of 16 clash earlier in the week, putting a blemish on their perfect performance in that clash.
Osimhen was visibly angered after his promising run on goal was ignored and he gestured to be substituted after the incident.
Moses Simon was brought on as his replacement, while the Super Eagles went on to score one more goal and seal an emphatic 4-0 win to advance to the last eight.
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After the match, Lookman and head coach Eric Chelle both downplayed the incident, emphasizing focus on the next task at hand.
Nigeria will now face Algeria in the last eight on Saturday, hoping to get their revenge on their semifinal defeat in 2019.
Moses Simon reacts to Osimhen-Lookman on-field incident
Moses Simon, who has been used as a substitute mostly so far at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco believes the team is well-focused on achieving success in their next match.
The Paris FC winger also revealed that both players involved in the confrontation are past that and are fully ready on facing Algeria in their quarterfinal clash.
“But first it’s a team play. We are all team and of course we are united as you can see before they score someone give them the ball to score. So and of course I feel happy for them”, the winger revealed.
“For me, I would say yes, of course, we play for them. because they’re two of Africa’s best players, the last one, they won it, which of course we are working all together as a team, as a coach also for a goal.
So there’s no time for who is the best and who is not the best. The most important thing, the teams are the best. We all are the best. We just want to win”, he concluded.
What next for Nigeria?
Nigeria face Algeria at the Stade de Marrakech on Saturday in the 2025 African Cup of Nations last eight encounter.
A win in that clash would seal progress into the last four, where they will face either Cameroon or Morocco for a place in the final.
The Super Eagles reached the final in 2023 and will be hoping for another run to the final , this time even lifting the prestigious title.
