Osimhen, Iwobi chase AFCON final ticket, personal glory

Super Eagles’ duo of Victor Osimhen and effervescent midfielder, Alex Iwobi, will be aiming for a double ration in Wednesday’s 2025 AFCON semi-final clash with the Atlas Lions of Morocco. While Osimhen’s eyes are firmly fixed on becoming Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorer, Iwobi is aiming for the century-mark and the match against Morocco will […]

Super Eagles’ duo of Victor Osimhen and effervescent midfielder, Alex Iwobi, will be aiming for a double ration in Wednesday’s 2025 AFCON semi-final clash with the Atlas Lions of Morocco.

While Osimhen’s eyes are firmly fixed on becoming Super Eagles all-time highest goalscorer, Iwobi is aiming for the century-mark and the match against Morocco will bring him closer to his dream.

Two goals against the Atlas Lions will put Osimhen at par with Nigeria’s revered ‘goalsfather’ Rashidi Yekini in the number of goals scored for the Nigeria national team at senior level.

The Galatasaray of Turkey forward has 35 goals in 51 matches, while ‘Goalsfather’ netted 37 times in his 58 matches for country.

At just 27 years of age and at the peak of his powers, Osimhen is easily tipped to score many more goals for Nigeria, effectively breaking the record set by the gangling poacher of blessed memory.

As at the time Yekini passed on 4th May 2012, Osimhen’s name was yet to come into reckoning at international level.

He rang his bell to the universal audience in 2015, when he emerged top scorer (with 10 goals) and second most valuable player of the FIFA U17 World Cup tournament that Nigeria won in Chile that year.

History beckons on the former SSC Napoli forward on Wednesday night, as the 90 minutes battle, for which he will have Alex Iwobi, Akor Adams and Ademola Lookman providing valuable support, offer him the opportunity to equal the great man’s tally.

Iwobi, who has been extraordinary at this AFCON, is set to win his 96th cap for country, taking him closer to the century-mark of former captain Joseph Yobo, and former goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who garnered 101. Ahmed Musa remains the man-with-the-record at 111 caps.

The former Arsenal and Everton midfield maestro made his international debut on 8 October, 2015 replacing Ahmed Musa in the 57th minute of a 2–0 friendly defeat to DR Congo in Visé, Belgium.