AFCON 2023: Step Up Your Game, Peseiro Tells Osimhen, Others

Super Eagles head coach, José Peseiro, has called on striker Victor Osimhen and his attacking partners – Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon – to “step up” their game when they face South Africa in the first semifinal match of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament on Wednesday in Bouake, Cote D’Ivoire.

The Super Eagles have been quietly efficient in reaching the last-4, with three 1-0 wins in their last four games. The other was a 2-0 success against Cameroon.

But their next opponents, South Africa, have also kept four clean sheets in a row, and Peseiro knows his team will have a tough time breaking down a resolute Bafana Bafana.

“We’re missing some key creators like (Kelechi) Iheanacho and (Joe) Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up,” he said.

Ademola Lookman has scored Nigeria’s last three goals at the finals in the Ivory Coast, and Victor Osimhen got a goal in their pool opener against Equatorial Guinea.

But the other two strikes were a penalty from William Troost-Ekong and an own goal from Guinea-Bissau’s Opa Sangante.

“Once again, we played against Angola in the quarterfinals without conceding, and scored a goal, but I would have liked more. The team could have created more opportunities,” Peseiro stated.