Former Super Eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha says the on-field confrontation that occurred between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman in the Round of 16 win over Mozambique was important for the team, SportPremi reports.
The Nigerian forwards clashed during the second half of their 4-0 win over Mozambique in their Round of 16 encounter at the Fez Stadium.
The issue stemmed from when both Bruno Onyemaechi and Lookman ignored Osimhen’s promising run into the box and opted to recycle play instead with the team 2-0 up.
The Galatasaray forward became upset and angrily confronted Lookman before a corner kick, despite the best efforts of captain Wilfried Ndidi to stop him.
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The 27-year-old then refused to participate further in the passage of play and requested to be substituted, with Moses Simon coming on for him.
He was also the first player to get on the team bus after the clash and did not participate in their post-match celebrations.
However, the players showed no signs of disagreement in their quarterfinal clash against Algeria, displaying remarkable understanding to seal a 2-0 victory.
Nigeria dominated the encounter from start to finish, with Lookman and Osimhen linking up brilliantly with the rest of the team.
The latter opened the scoring in the second half, before turning provider for Akor Adams to score a brilliant second as the Super Eagles progressed beyond the last eight stage.
Okocha reveals stance on Osimhen-Lookman row
Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, who is regarded as one of the best Nigerian footballers in history, revealed his opinion on the on-field confrontation that happened between the players.
The five-time AFCON medalist chastised Osimhen for his actions, but stated that the incident showed passion and mentality to win in the team.
“These things happen, and I love to see that sometimes in a team. It shows that they want to win. They’re not just there to play and go home.
They want to achieve something. If players are criticising each other, are upset for not getting the right service, or a teammate not doing the right thing”, Okocha revealed.
“Osimhen went over the board. I have to clear that out as well, but it’s good to see players that are passionate but also understand that you’re not bigger than your teammate.
“You’re the same, you have to respect your teammate, and if you want to say something, better say it in the dressing room and not show the whole world that your colleague made a mistake, but the passion and hunger is good to see”, he concluded.
Nigeria head to the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday night to face host nations Morocco in the last four, with the winner set to face either Egypt or Senegal in the 2025 AFCON final on Sunday.
