Despite playing with a hamstring injury, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen was named to the squad by coach Éric Chelle for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
With four goals and two assists in six matches, the Galatasaray striker continued to shine despite dealing with some physical issues during the tournament in Morocco.
He was named to the Tournament All-Tournament Team by the Confederation of African Football for his stellar play.
Osimhen played all 90 minutes in two of his six appearances in the 2025 AFCON, both of which were against North African sides Algeria and Tunisia.
Because of their hectic travel schedule, Nigeria did not play to their potential in the semifinal match against Morocco, as Chelle stated.
Also, he brought out the fact that the team’s physicians meticulously monitored Osimhen’s condition, which allowed him to continue playing despite the injury.
We returned to Fez after our Marrakesh game against Algeria, and then we proceeded to Rabat, where we played a second encounter only two days after that.
“Sorry, we didn’t bring a cryotherapy chamber to help us recover,” Chelle explained on After Foot, an RMC Sport show.
“Recovery was incredibly challenging, that much is sure. At this level, it’s all about the little things, even though we flew from Marrakesh to Rabat.
“The squad was exhausted after two workouts, a short break following the game, and yet another workout before the next match.”
Alex Iwobi, Osimhen, and Ademola Lookman—Nigerian national team’s primary attackers—fell short of their previous level of play in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal match against the Atlas Lions.
Furthermore, he mentioned that Akor appeared fatigued during the play and failed to make contact with numerous balls. Victor is tricky since, despite his injury, he participated in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“He needed to get care of a small tear in his hamstring.”
Despite being included to the Nigerian squad for the third-place playoff match against Egypt, Osimhen did not participate despite captaining the side in their victories over Morocco and Uganda.