Ademola Lookman has shared his thoughts after Nigeria’s 4–0 victory over Mozambique in the 2025 AFCON Round of 16, a result that secured their place in the quarter-finals of the competition, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles produced one of their best performances in recent times when they thrashed the Mambas 4-0 in their knockout tie at the Fez Stadium on Monday night.
The three-time champions had breezed through Group C with a 100% record to qualify for the Round of 16, while Mozambique finished third in Group F behind Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
Nigeria got off the blocks early and were denied an early goal as Victor Osimhen’s strike was correctly ruled out for offside.
They got their goal minutes after as Iwobi played a wonderful pass to Akor Adams, who xut back for the impressive Lookman to score his third goal of the tournament.
It was two moments after as a cross from Lookman as deflected by Adams into the path of Osimhen, who finished easily at the back post as they took a two-goal lead into the break.
The Super Eagles grabbed their third of the match few minutes after the restart through Osimhen after brilliant work in the buildup by Lookman.
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The Atalanta forward finally had his second assist of the match, playing a pass to Adams who rifled home from inside the box to seal a comprehensive 4-0 win.
Everything Lookman said after man-of-the-match performance against Mozambique
While reacting to his second player of the match award in just his third appearance in Morocco, Lookman hailed the team’s performance and believes they must be well prepared for their next clash.
“The fact that we didn’t qualify for the FIFA World Cup is not going to go away. We have to deal with that. But we are at the AFCON, we now have a big game to play in five days (against Algeria or DR Congo) and we have to prepare for that”, Lookman revealed.
The Atalanta forward also praised the impact of strike partner Akor Adams, who was very impressive and grabbed his maiden goal at the tournament.
“Akor is a very very strong player, he brings different qualities to the attack. His game understanding is there and he understands. Sometimes he drops in and he plays with the team, he’s not just a number 9 who just pins and holds the ball up. He’s got different elements to his games and as long as he continues to be perform like that, I’m sure he will keep getting better and better”, the 28-year-old added.
The 2024 CAF Men’s Player of the year also played down the confrontation that occurred with Osimhen during the match, hailing the striker’s passion and quality.
“I haven’t talked to him since the game. But what matters is that we won. He is a top player and very important to our team. For me, there is no big issue.”
Nigeria will now face the winner of the clash between Algeria and DR Congo in the quarterfinals, as they continue their march towards a fourth African title.
