AFCON 2023: “There are no underdogs”- Osimhen wary of upsets in knockout rounds

This year, there have been a lot of big upsets at the AFCON

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has iterated that there are no underdogs at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 2023 AFCON is one of the most unique competitions that has taken place on the continent. This year, many minnows have produced shocking results, and the big teams have fumbled badly.

Top countries like Ghana, Algeria, and Tunisia have been bundled out of the competition, while countries like Mauritania, Namibia, Cape Verde, and Equatorial have shown their prowess.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles were placed in Group A of the AFCON alongside Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea. When the draws were made, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire were primed for the first two positions because of their abundance of talent. However, the opposite happened.

Equatorial Guinea topped the group after picking seven points from three games- one of which was a 4-0 win against hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has featured in all three of Nigeria’s games, and he believes that the lower-ranked countries have stepped up their game. As such, he insists that the Super Eagles are not taking any chances.

“I think the pressure is high, Nigeria is a big footballing country, and the fans want us to go out there and play good and win convincingly,” Osimhen

“But in the AFCON, there is no underdog, and if you have to win, you have to be on top of your game. You have to be focused from the blast of the whistle to the very end.

The most important thing for us is we’ve gotten to the knockout stage. Then, we still have a lot of work to do. We are still a work in progress, but I think we are on the right track, and we have the right coach.

Everything is going smoothly for us, and we are just focused on the next game and trying to get into the next round

Next for Nigeria is a clash against Cameroon, who have been struggling throughout the competition. The Super Eagles will be looking to