Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has downplayed concerns over the on-field exchange between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 4–0 victory over Mozambique in the Round of 16 at the AFCON 2025, describing the incident as an internal matter that will be handled privately.
Nigeria sealed a dominant win on Monday with Osimhen scoring twice, while Lookman and Akor Adams also found the net to secure the Super Eagles’ place in the quarter-finals.
However, the match was briefly overshadowed in the 64th minute when Osimhen was seen angrily confronting Lookman inside Mozambique’s penalty area. The striker appeared frustrated over a missed scoring opportunity, believing a pass should have been played to him while he was in a better position.
Moments later, Osimhen requested to be substituted and was replaced by Moses Simon.
Chelle while speaking during his post-match press conference, dismissed suggestions that the incident could affect team harmony, insisting such issues would be resolved within the squad.
“What happened on the pitch will stay within the group,” Chelle said. “This is about my management and I don’t need to explain everything publicly. Everything that happens in the group stays in the group. We will talk and handle it internally.”
The Super Eagles coach expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance but warned against complacency. “I’m happy with the four goals, but in reality we didn’t do anything special. We only won one game,” he said. “If we want to be ambitious, we need to continue to improve and maintain this level of quality.”
Chelle added that his immediate focus is ensuring the players remain disciplined and fully committed as the tournament progresses. “My job now is to keep the players very focused in their training sessions and in their behaviour,” he said.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals as they continue their pursuit of a fourth Africa Cup of Nations title.
