Nigeria: I Was Undecided About Giving Pass, Simon Says

Super Eagles and FC Nantes of France winger, Moses Simon, said he was undecided either to pass the ball to Victor Osimhen or score himself before passing it to Ademola Lookman for the winning goal.

Simon provided an assist for Nigeria’s 1-0 win over the Palancas Negras of Angola on Friday, in the quarter-final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Benue-born player disclosed this at the post-match news conference on Friday in Abidjan.

“I was undecided if I should pass to Victor Osimhen, go inside and shoot or find Ademola Lookman, “he said.

“It was either pass the ball to Victor or I score, or pass to Lookman but at this moment, you don’t need to be selfish, we just need to feed them to score and I am really happy he utilises the chance.

“I feel really happy, the most important thing is the victory, you could be the man of the match and lose,” Simon said.

Simon who won the Man of the Match award, said he was happy not because he won the award, but because the Eagles progressed to the semi-final of the competition.

He said who scores in a match doesn’t interest them anymore but winning the match was much more important than putting pressure on one person to score.

Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw in its first game against Equatorial Guinea, dispatched host, Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire, 1-0 in the second game, and a 1-0 win over Guinea Bissau in the last group B match.

The three-time African champions, defeated the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 2-0 in the round of 16 to set a date with the Palacas Negras of Angola in the quarter-final and recorded another 1-0 win.