Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen has issued a bold warning to Africa Cup of Nations rivals, insisting the Super Eagles have the firepower to overcome any opponent as they chase a fourth continental crown and their first since 2013.
The West African country ended the group stage with a perfect record of three wins from three matches, marking only the fourth time in 20 AFCON appearances they’ve achieved such a feat.
Their dominant form positions them as one of the tournament’s most dangerous sides heading into Monday’s Round of 16 clash against Mozambique in Fez.
“Yes, I would count my country as one of the favourites,” Osimhen said following the 3-1 win over Uganda.
“We are one of the most feared teams in this tournament. Any team can come and play us. If they are good, they can scale through, but if they are not, we can trample on any team because this team has the quality to do damage to any opponent.”
Despite his confidence, the 27-year-old Galatasaray striker stressed the importance of humility and respect for all opponents.
“We respect every team, but we fear nobody,” he said, adding that the knockout phase would pose tougher challenges.
Nigeria last lifted the AFCON trophy in 2013 and finished as runners-up in the previous edition.
“Ending that drought would mean everything,” Osimhen said, revealing that the squad reminded themselves in training that they “came to Morocco to win the trophy.”
“We don’t get carried away by the hype,” he added. “There is still a lot of work to do. We are taking it game by game.
Osimhen, who has scored once in the tournament against Tunisia, captained the team for the first time at the international level in the group finale against Uganda after coach Eric Chelle rotated the squad.
“It feels good,” he said.
“It comes with huge responsibility, but it helped me understand why the captain feels so happy whenever we win.”
