Osimhen Keeps Focus On Team Achievements As Nigeria Reach AFCON Semi-Finals

Add as a preferred source on Google

Nigeria moved into the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals after a 2-0 win over Algeria, with Victor Osimhen heavily involved in both goals. Nigeria kept a perfect record at the 2025 AFCON, while Algeria exited at the quarter-final stage again after a subdued attacking performance.

The Super Eagles will now face hosts Morocco in what will be Nigeria’s 16th AFCON semi-final. Nigeria have won all five matches at this tournament and scored 14 times, which is Nigeria’s highest goal tally in a single Africa Cup of Nations edition.

Algeria’s defeat continued a difficult pattern at this stage of the Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria have now gone out in the quarter-finals for the fifth time, with only Tunisia, on seven occasions, and DR Congo, on six, suffering more exits at this point of the competition.

The latest loss stemmed largely from Algeria’s lack of threat in attack against Nigeria. Algeria produced only three attempts, worth 0.1 expected goals, and none of those efforts forced a save from Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria limited Algeria’s space, especially in central areas, and controlled most key moments.

Osimhen again influenced the outcome at the 2025 AFCON, but key numbers underline a broader trend. Osimhen now has three goals in the last two AFCON matches, one more than across the first 11 appearances. Three of Osimhen’s last five Africa Cup of Nations goals have also come from headers.

Osimhen opened the scoring just 84 seconds after the restart, finishing a move that cut through Algeria’s defence. Around 10 minutes later, Osimhen set up Akor Adams for Nigeria’s second goal. That contribution maintained Nigeria’s perfect run and highlighted the link between Nigeria’s pressing, quick transitions and finishing.

Osimhen stressed that Nigeria’s progress is about collective work rather than individual headlines. "I scored a goal and provided an assist, but we shouldn’t focus on my personal performance; we should focus on the team effort of the national team," he said. "We won against a good Algerian team that has talented players."

Reflecting on development across tournaments, Osimhen described a broader view of performance. "For me, I was involved in the game, reflecting on my experience in the previous Africa Cup of Nations. It's not just about scoring decisive goals, but about how we influence the game and contribute to the victory. That's what matters most in the national team. I always strive to improve myself, both mentally and physically."

Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic accepted Nigeria’s superiority and pointed to several issues within Algeria’s display. "The opponent played better than us," Petkovic said. "We couldn't get into the game properly; we had to stay focused. I don't want to go into too many details, but Nigeria was better than us. We were missing a lot of things. We wanted to control the game, but the opponent was strong and prevented us from doing so. The Nigerian team showed the individual skills they possess, and physically, we were behind. We tried to come back in the second half, but we couldn't reach the level we wanted in attack. Our players are disappointed and devastated after the match. They performed well in this tournament. Now the competition is over, and another tournament is coming. We must keep our heads high after this exit."

Match figures underlined Nigeria’s superiority over Algeria in this Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

Nigeria’s mix of strong collective organisation and decisive contribution from Osimhen carried the Super Eagles past Algeria and into a semi-final with Morocco. Algeria’s fifth quarter-final exit, limited attacking output and Petkovic’s comments all highlighted the gap in this contest, while Nigeria extended a clinical 2025 AFCON campaign.