Super Eagles Coach Chelle Draws Line on Osimhen–Lookman Incident After Mozambique Win

The Super Eagles secured a dominant 4-0 victory over Mozambique in Monday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 round of 16 clash, but the game was overshadowed by an on-field incident between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.

A brace from Osimhen and goals from Lookman and Akor Adams sealed a comfortable win for the Super Eagles.

Super Eagles Face Internal Clash Between Osimhen and Lookman

However, the 64th minute saw tension rise when Osimhen, visibly angry, confronted Lookman inside Mozambique’s penalty box.

The striker’s frustration stemmed from a goal opportunity he felt should have been passed to him, believing he was in a better position to find the back of the net.

Osimhen displayed a short fuse, yelling at Bruno Onyeamachi for not passing the ball and taking the ball out of bounds.

His behaviour appeared directed at Lookman as well, touching his head while shouting, even as teammate Wilfred Ndidi tried to intervene.

After the confrontation, Osimhen stopped making runs and chasing the ball, showing little interest in the game. Minutes later, he requested to be substituted and was replaced by Moses Simon.

Chelle Confirms Incident Will Be Handled Privately

Addressing the situation in his post-match press conference, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle said:

“This is a question about my management, and what happened in the pitch will stay in the group; I don’t need to tell anyone what happened. I keep that for me, and everything that happened in the group stays in the group, so we will see after that, and we will talk.”

Reflecting on the 4-0 win, Chelle expressed satisfaction but cautioned against complacency.

“I’m happy about this game winning by four goals, but in reality we didn’t do anything special; we just won one game. If we want to be ambitious, we need to continue to improve and keep this quality on the pitch. My job now is to keep the players very focused on their training sessions and behaviour.”

The Super Eagles will now turn their focus to the quarter-finals, where they will face either Algeria or DR Congo in Marrakech on Saturday, aiming to maintain their winning form while managing team discipline and harmony off the ball.