Atalanta and Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, has played down the rift in the camp of the senior national team following the outburst of striker Victor Osimhen on the pitch in the Round of 16 match against Mozambique.
Nigeria was leading 3-0 with two goals from Osimhen and one from Lookman in that encounter as the Galasataray forward charged at Lookman for not giving him a pass to score his third.
Osimhen was vividly angry and he was thereafter substituted in a match Nigeria won 4-0 with the last goal scored by Akor Adams. After the encounter, Osimhen again did not join his teammates to pray and celebrate as he entered the dressing room ahead of all other members of the team including the technical crew.
In a reaction, Lookman, voted the Man of the Match, stressed that there was no rift in the team in any way.
“It’s all about football and the passion. Osimhen is my brother, the focus now is on the quarterfinal and I want all Nigerians to support us.
“We are all focused to move on in the competition and our fans should rally behind us to achieve our dreams of going all the way,” Looman added.
The Atalanta forward has had seven goal involvements in the competition so far with three goals and four assists.
Meanwhile, the 4-0 commanding win of the Super Eagles on Monday over Mambas of Mozambique set up a quarterfinal match against Algeria as the North Africans only on Tuesday grabbed a late winner to edge DR Congo in the last 16 tie.
Nigeria and Algeria will battle for a semifinal slot in a potentially explosive encounter on Saturday in Marrakech, Morocco.
Also on Tuesday, Amad Diallo starred as defending champions Ivory Coast cruised past Burkina Faso and into the quarter-finals. They will now meet Egypt in the quarterfinals. Egypt defeated Benin 3-1 in the R16.
The Manchester United winger put the Elephants ahead in the 20th minute when he bustled past a couple of defenders and sent a dinked finish past goalkeeper Herve Koffi from close range.
Twelve minutes later, Amad laid on the second for Yan Diomande, who sent a curling finish past the wrongfooted Koffi from just inside the area.
Dango Ouattara came close to pulling one back for the Stallions before the break, but his right-footed effort from a narrow angle hit the base of the left-hand upright and rebounded into the arms of Ivorian keeper Yahia Fofana.
Fofana then made a smart reaction save with his right boot to once again deny Brentford forward Ouattara just after the hour mark, while Amad was denied his second by a similarly fine stop by Koffi.
In the end it was teenager Bazoumana Toure who grabbed the third late on with a fine solo goal, racing forward from midway inside his own half and beating Koffi inside the left-hand upright with a clinical finish.
Cameroon after beating South Africa 2-0 in the R16 are billed to meet host Morocco just as Senegal will meet Mali in the quarterfinals on Friday.
*AFCON Quarterfinal pairings at a glance
Friday
Mali vs Senegal
Cameroon vs Morocco
Saturday
Algeria vs Nigeria
Egypt vs Cote d’Ivoire.
