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News

Nigeria: Super Eagles At Afcon – Why Is Osimhen Not Scoring As Wingers Continue to Frustrate

todayJanuary 26, 2024 2

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The Eagles have created 12 big scoring chances but have scored only twice, a situation they have to correct when they face Cameroon on Saturday.

The Super Eagles have advanced to the round of 16, securing the second position in Group A with seven points.

Despite their progress, a closer look at their goal-scoring performance reveals a rather subdued output, especially considering the prolific striker Victor Osimhen in their ranks.

Osimhen, who recently earned the Africa Player of the Year award for 2023, has a remarkable goal-scoring record with 26 goals in 29 appearances for club and country in all competitions in 2023.

However, in the current AFCON 2023 tournament, the Super Eagles managed to score only three goals. These include a penalty against the hosts, an own goal against Guinea-Bissau, and a header on the goal line in the match against Equatorial Guinea.

Osimhen, playing as the designated No. 9 in his first AFCON as a key player, has faced criticism for his goal-scoring performance despite his hard work and enthusiasm.

Analysing the statistics, Osimhen contributed to 32 per cent of the team’s 41 shots in the group phase, with nine of those shots on target.

However, he missed several significant goal-scoring opportunities, accounting for 70 per cent of the team’s offside calls. The Super Eagles, who create an average of 4.3 big chances per game, should theoretically have scored more goals, but they have struggled to convert these opportunities into goals.

While acknowledging that Osimhen is not solely responsible for the goal-scoring challenges, he has been a major contributor to the missed chances.

Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro remains confident in Osimhen’s abilities, expressing optimism that he will find his scoring form in the upcoming matches. Peseiro emphasised Osimhen’s importance to the team and acknowledged the tough competition in the tournament.

“For our next match, Osimhen will score,” Peseiro confidently stated on Thursday after the team’s training. “He’s important for the team. He’s the top scorer, but this is a different tournament and tough competition,” Peseiro added.

The question arises whether Osimhen is receiving adequate service from the playmakers, and while this may be partly true, the analysis indicates that even when chances are created for him, Osimhen has either missed them or been unfortunate to be caught offside.