Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, William Troost-Ekong, has praised Victor Osimhen's mentality following his huge miss against Gabon, Soccernet.ng reports.
Despite a dominant display, Eric Chelle's men were unable to break the deadlock in the first half. Akor Adams stepped up in the 78th minute, but a deflected effort from Mario Lemina cancelled out the goal from the Sevilla striker.
Referee Abongile Tom added 12 minutes at the end of the 90. Osimhen was played through on goal by Wilfred Ndidi in the final minute of added time, but he scuffed the chance, playing it wide despite having a gaping goal in front of him.
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
Upon completion of the 90, the Super Eagles took charge of extra time. Sevilla's Chidera Ejuke, who replaced Samuel Chukwueze in the second half, found the back of the net in the 98th minute, squaring the ball into the bottom corner after a brilliant pass from Wilfred Ndidi.
– Will Nigeria ever forgive Victor Osimhen if they don't win this match?
See the Chance he missed in the 90+12Mins ♂️ pic.twitter.com/7Q5dAhzJLj— Daniel benas (@Daniel244601) November 13, 2025
Victor Osimhen then added a double before he was taken off with four minutes left on the clock. He was replaced by Tolu Arokodare.
Ekong lauds Osimhen's mentality
For a striker of such stature, missing golden chances like that is a rare occurrence, so even his teammates were shocked when the back of the net didn't bulge when Osimhen was played through on goal.
However, his ability to keep his head in the game to then score a double pleased Ekong, who started the game on the bench.
“When I saw him running at the goalkeeper, I was sure that he was going to score, but after that, we tried to encourage him,” the Super Eagles captain told ESPN AFRICA.
“We wanted to make sure that he wasn't disheartened, and he stole the show again, and that just shows the kind of player he is.
“He has so much resilience, that's how he plays, and he keeps fighting, and I'm very happy that he crowned his efforts, but for the whole team,
“Because I think today was a unifying performance for what has been a difficult couple of days, and I think this is a good step to what's to come on Sunday,” the 32-year-old concluded.
Up next for the three-time African Champions is a clash against Sebastien Desabre's DR Congo at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat on Sunday.
