AFCON qualifiers: President Weah hails Osimhen’s marksmanship

President George Weah of Liberia has commended Super Eagles’ striker Victor Osimhen for his exploits in front of goal. President Weah who was seated in the presidential box when Nigeria tackled Sierra Leone in the Day 5 game of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, could not stop singing the praises of […]

President George Weah of Liberia has commended Super Eagles’ striker Victor Osimhen for his exploits in front of goal.

President Weah who was seated in the presidential box when Nigeria tackled Sierra Leone in the Day 5 game of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, could not stop singing the praises of the Super Eagles’ forward.

Following his excellent season in which he scored 25 league goals to steer SC Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years, President Weah, the 1995 World, European and African Footballer of the Year, had penned a personal letter to Osimhen asking him to keep working hard and breaking new grounds.

On Sunday, as he sat in the presidential box of the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Paynesville, Weah could not stop singing Osimhen’s praises, according to Ademola Olajire, the Director of Press at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

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The Napoli forward did not disappoint, with an outstanding performance, scoring in the 20th and 33rd minutes to steer Nigeria into a 2-0 lead.

“That is what I call a striker. Good positioning always. Very athletic and knows where to be each time the ball is coming. He is so strong and a fighter par excellence,” Weah was quoted as saying.

The Nigeria forward is now the leading scorer in the qualifying series with seven goals, and has now racked up an impressive tally of 17 goals in 25 matches for Nigeria at senior level.

Osimhen’s seven goals in this qualifying campaign include the one goal he scored against Sierra Leone in Abuja in June 2022 to eventually give Nigeria a 2-1 win and three points on the first day of the series, and four of the 10 goals against Sao Tome and Principe in Agadir, Morocco few days later, on a day Nigeria set a new international win-record.

Osimhen’s two goals took Nigeria in front before Mustapha Bundu and Augustus Kargbo drew level, but in the added period, Kelechi Iheanacho made good from a dashing run by Zaidu Sanusi that stunned the Liberian defence.

Victory took Nigeria to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals with 12 points, with a match to spare, alongside second-placed Guinea Bissau, on 10. The Leone Stars crashed out with only five points.

Hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Egypt, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and Mali are the 14 countries that have qualified for Cote d’Ivoire 2023, with the remaining 10 to emerge in September.

Nigeria will host the group’s whipping boys, Sao Tome and Principe, in a purely academic exercise in September.