Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle has responded to the on-field disagreement between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s emphatic 4–0 victory over Mozambique in the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Mexosports reports.
Nigeria produced one of the most dominant performances of the knockout stage, dismantling the Mozambicans to claim the biggest win of the round and secure a comfortable place in the quarterfinals.
Once again, Victor Osimhen was at the heart of the Super Eagles’ attacking brilliance. The Galatasaray striker netted a brace, continuing his impressive form at the tournament, while Ademola Lookman and Akor Adams also found the back of the net for the three-time African champions.
Despite the convincing scoreline, the match was not without its tense moments. Just four minutes after the hour mark, with Nigeria already leading 3–0, Osimhen and Lookman were involved in a brief but heated exchange on the pitch. Osimhen was seen walking briskly toward Lookman before engaging him in a fiery confrontation, which was quickly diffused by teammates.
While the exact cause of the disagreement remains unclear, the incident appeared to follow shortly after Lookman missed a promising goalscoring opportunity, with Osimhen seemingly better positioned to receive a pass.
Speaking after the match, Chelle played down the incident, making it clear that such matters would be handled internally and not discussed publicly.
“This is a question about my management, and what happened on the pitch will stay within the group,” Chelle said.“I don’t need to explain it to anyone. Everything that happens in the team stays in the team. We will talk about it internally and address it.”
Turning his attention to the overall performance, Chelle praised his players for the victory but warned against complacency as the tournament progresses.
“I’m happy with the win and scoring four goals, but in reality, we didn’t do anything special—we just won one game,” he added.“If we want to be ambitious, we must continue to improve and maintain this level of quality. My responsibility now is to keep the players fully focused, both in training and in their behaviour.”
Nigeria will discover their quarterfinal opponents later today following the conclusion of the clash between Algeria and DR Congo, as the Super Eagles continue their pursuit of a fourth AFCON title.
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