Galatasaray of Turkey striker, Victor Osimhen lived up to expectations on Saturday, as he emerged man of the match, after scoring one and assisted another to help Nigeria defeat Algeria 2-0 and reach the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Sports247 reports that the Super Eagles’ hitman overcame after effects of his on-field blast during their 4-0 trouncing of Mozambique in the round of 16, as he led Nigeria with a 47th minute goal and 57th minute assist for Akor Adams to make it 2-0 in Marrakech, Morocco.
Osimhen’s stunning header takes him just two goals behind Rashidi Yekini’s 37 on the roll call of Nigeria’s all-time top scorers and just one short of Morocco’s Brahim Diaz on the log at AFCON 2025, ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final in Rabat.
While Diaz has set a ew record of scoring in five straight matches at AFCON 2025, Osimhen enjoys the leverage of netting one against Tunisia and two versus Mozambique before his effort on Saturday, which was the first to be conceded by Zinedine Zidane’s son in goal for Algeria and Nigeria’s 13th of this tournament.
Dramatically, Osimhen will come head-to-head with Diaz on Wednesday, as Nigeria, who also now have a record of 14 goals in a single AFCON competition, face the hosts in a decisive last-four tie that promises to be more explosive than any other.
Apart from being a clash between two in-form teams, it could decide the ultinate chsnpiobs as well as who goes home with the AFCON 2025 top scorer’s prize in the final next Sunday, January 18th.
It would also be an opportunity for Sevilla of Spain attacker, Akor Adams to net his third goal of the competition and get due reward for the hard work he has done all through this competition, but his day appeared jinxed versus Algeria.
He will aim to make up for ill-luck that cut him short to just a goal on Saturday, as he missed a sitter, had one wrongly overlooked despite appearing to cross the line early in the first half and the hit the upright midway through the second.
