Nigeria boss Eric Chelle has welcomed the return of Victor Osimhen to the national team ahead of this month’s qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin Republic.
The 2023 African footballer of the year winner suffered an injury in last month’s 1-0 win over Rwanda, forcing him to be replaced by Cyriel Dessers in the first half of the clash.
He subsequently missed the 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein due to the injury, but has made a return in time for the country’s final two matches of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles head into their last two fixtures in high hopes, knowing a victory in both matches could seal their spot in next year’s showpiece event.
FIFA disciplinary committee had sanctioned South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in a qualifying match against Lesotho and deducted three points from their tally.
Bafana Bafana dropped to second in the standings behind Benin Republic on goal difference, while Nigeria remained in third but are just three points behind both teams.
The three-time African champions face Lesotho on Friday evening, before hosting Benin Republic next Tuesday as the battle for qualification heats up.
Speaking ahead of the clash against Lesotho, Eric Chelle praised Osimhen’s ability and called for focus among the available players in the camp.
“For us, Victor is the best striker for me in the world. But we have lots of strikers in these team we have lots of players who can make the difference at any moment”, Eric Chelle said.
“Sometime you have some players, sometimes you don’t have some players, but you need to stay focused on the players who are ready now.”
Osimhen’s return key to Nigeria’s World Cup chances
Nigeria must win both of their matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic and hope for favorable results from other group matches to stand a chance of finishing top of the group and clinching the available automatic slot.
Victor Osimhen was greatly missed in their last round of matches, as they battled to finish off chances against Rwanda and South Africa.
The 26-year-old is Nigeria’s second all-time record scorer and has proven his ability overtime for the Super Eagles with his predatory instincts to finish off chances.
His return is a massive boost for Eric Chelle’s side, who need to make good use of their goalscoring chances to book their spot in next year’s tournament.
