![\"Ademola](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254212629-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNigeria are their own worst enemies.<\/p>\n
Everybody should be thrilled at their impressive performances at the Africa Cup of Nations and how they have responded to the disappointment of failing to qualify for a second successive World Cup. Monday evening\u2019s 4-0 victory against Mozambique secured a place in the quarter-finals, and a potential reunion with the Democratic Republic of Congo, who beat them in November\u2019s World Cup play-off final.<\/p>\n
Instead, all the attention will fixate on a potential rift between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.<\/p>\n
In the 25th minute against Mozambique, a sensational pass from Alex Iwobi led to Lookman assisting Osimhen. The centre-forward ran towards his team-mate and they slid together in celebration on the wet turf along with Bruno Onyemaechi. The trio collapsed in a heap, beaming with happiness. Just after half-time, Lookman jumped into Osimhen\u2019s arms after setting him up again.<\/p>\n
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\n Ademola Lookman leaps into Victor Osimhen\u2019s arms (Sebastien Bozon\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The competition\u2019s joint-second-top goalscorers were running wild. Moments later, they started bickering with each other \u2014 Osimhen seemed to indicate that his team-mate was not passing to him \u2014 and everything changed.<\/p>\n
Iwobi found Frank Onyeka in a pocket of space in front of Mozambique\u2019s defence. Onyeka passed the ball to Lookman, who should have given it to Osimhen but instead tried to wriggle past a few defenders himself.<\/p>\n
Then Onyemaechi and Akor Adams combined down the right wing and drove into the box instead of passing to the unmarked Osimhen.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/export-61.png\")
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Osimhen threw his hands up in the air in frustration.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/export-62.png\")
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Yet that was only the start. The 27-year-old completely snapped when Lookman went over to take a corner a few seconds later.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Osimhen-stroppy.gif\")
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Osimhen squared up to his team-mate and started pointing in Lookman\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/export-66.png\")
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Lookman seemed perplexed.<\/p>\n
Captain Wilfred Ndidi tried to intervene but Osimhen slapped his arm aside. Bizarrely, it was Mozambique defender Reinildo who shoved him away. Osimhen signalled to the bench he wanted to come off and he was duly replaced by Moses Simon.<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/export-67.png\")
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Nigeria were winning 3-0, but it was hard to tell from the way they were behaving. It was extraordinary that Osimhen became so frustrated that he effectively dictated the team\u2019s tactics and substitutions. It is a concern that he was allowed to do so.<\/p>\n
The drama did not end there.<\/p>\n
At full time, Osimhen walked straight down the tunnel while the rest of the squad and coaching staff formed a huddle on the pitch. He left the dressing room before anybody else \u2014 he is usually the last to leave \u2014 and sat on the coach by himself. The rest of his team-mates did not emerge for at least 10 minutes and most of them conducted interviews in the media mixed zone<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nobody seemed particularly bothered about checking in on their vice-captain. It felt like they were ignoring a petulant child.<\/p>\n \n Victor Osimhen makes his frustration clear to captain Wilfred Ndidi (Ulrik Pedersen\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Osimhen is an emotional player \u2014 remember his outburst on social media towards Finidi George, Nigeria\u2019s head coach at the time, in June 2024<\/a> \u2014 but this was a step too far and suggested he is feeling the pressure. He only scored one goal at the last AFCON, a header in a group game against Equatorial Guinea. No prizes for correctly guessing who created the chance.<\/p>\n At the time, he was the reigning Confederation of Africa (CAF) Footballer of the Year. Nigeria\u2019s then-captain William Troost-Ekong won the player of the tournament award and Lookman scored three times in the knockout stages, including the only goal in their quarter-final victory over Angola. A few months later, he won the Europa League with Atalanta and took Osimhen\u2019s crown as the CAF Footballer of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old winger has been the best player at this edition of AFCON, along with Morocco\u2019s Brahim Diaz. Lookman has seven direct goal contributions (three goals, four assists), more than anybody else.<\/p>\n Osimhen, for his part, is only three career goals away from matching Nigeria\u2019s all-time top goalscorer Rashidi Yekini. He has scored 34 times in 50 appearances, an impressive record. He is loved by the country\u2019s fans but will not be held in the same esteem as Yekini, former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu or Jay-Jay Okocha until he wins AFCON.<\/p>\n Lookman was asked about the argument after the game and if he had spoken to Osimhen. \u201cI have not seen him but I don\u2019t really think that is important,\u201d Lookman told reporters. \u201cThe team won 4-0. Vic is our number one guy. Everybody knows this. He is a top striker and a top player. All the rest of that is not important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no issue,\u201d Lookman continued. \u201cIt\u2019s just football. Always football. He (Osimhen) is my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Ademola Lookman is challenged by Mozambique\u2019s goalkeeper Ernan Siluane (Sebastien Bozon\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle added: \u201cWhat happened on the pitch will stay in the group.\u201d<\/p>\n Lookman and Chelle\u2019s answers suggested the issue had not been resolved, but Ndidi told reporters: \u201cEverything is fine, everyone is together.\u201d Maybe the Besiktas midfielder was attempting to brush over the incident in public, hoping everyone will have stopped talking about it by the time they face DR Congo or Algeria in the quarter-finals in Marrakech on Saturday.<\/p>\n It was a huge shame that Osimhen\u2019s petulance overshadowed such a commanding team performance.<\/p>\n Adams is the selfless, overlooked third member of Nigeria\u2019s front line and he dedicated his goal to his mother, who, he revealed after the game, is in hospital. Iwobi\u2019s passes in the build-up to the first two goals were beautiful. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru had another promising cameo from the bench and Onyemaechi keeps showing why he has replaced Zaidu Sanusi as the first-choice left-back.<\/p>\n![\"Victor](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254217451-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Ademola](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254211502-scaled.jpg\")
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