Victor Osimhen lauds Super Eagles' 'deserved win' in front of 50,000 Ivory Coast fans

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has commended his team’s focus and determination after a statement victory against Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON. 

Osimhen played a decisive role as Nigeria defeated the AFCON 2023 hosts 1-0 to register their first win in Group A on Thursday evening.

The 25-year-old won the second-half penalty that was calmly converted by stand-in captain William Troost-Ekong to warm Nigeria a historic victory against the Elephants. 

Speaking after the explosive encounter played in front of a packed crowd in Abidjan, the Napoli forward congratulated his Super Eagles teammates for the deserved win over the Ivorians whom he described as great. 

“We just played in front of 50,000 Ivorian fans and we (Nigerians) were few, kudos to our supporters,” Osimhen stated in a video by Nigerian journalist Calister on Instagram. “It was a big win for us, we deserved this.” 

Speaking further, the African Player of the Year praised the host before adding that the Super Eagles never lost focus.

“They (Ivory Coast) played a great game - they have the qualities to win games and I think we were focused from the blast of the whistle till the very end,” he added. 

“I am really happy about this, congratulations to the team. We deserve this win and will continue to build on the momentum from here.” 

Osimhen has scored one goal in two matches at the AFCON 2023 for the Nigeria Super Eagles.