The Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a 4-0 win against Mozambique four days ago, but the spat between Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen tainted the victory, Soccernet.ng reports.
Former Nigeria striker Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached Osimhen at the U-17 level in 2015, has now agreed with Eric Chelle's method of internally sorting the clash between the players.
The duo had already scored, with Victor Osimhen on a double, when the clash broke out in the 63rd minute after failing to receive a pass.
Bruno Onyemaechi found himself in unfamiliar territory on the edge of the Mozambican box, and with Osimhen free on the right, the full-back opted to go for goal himself, which initially put the striker off.
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The ball then fell to Lookman, who opted to recycle possession rather than keep the attack going. Osimhen lashed out, telling the Atalanta forward, “Hey, this is a team game,” to which Lookman replied, “But you already scored two goals.”
Captain Wilfred Ndidi's attempt to calm the Galatasaray striker down was met with a cold shoulder, and Osimhen was taken off shortly afterwards as he refused to involve himself in the passage of play.
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Super Eagles: Emmanuel Amuneke weighs in on Osimhen's row with Lookman
The former Barcelona striker believes a quiet way to resolve the occurrence against Mozambique is the best approach the coach could've taken.
“Osimhen is one with a lot of character. It’s only when you come close to him that you can really understand him,” the 55-year-old told the Guardian.
“It’s not that he is a bad person. He has the character of a person who wants to win. There are always issues within a team.
“We shouldn’t make too much out of it. I was privileged to know Lookman.
“He’s an open-minded person who likes to relate with people. We need different characters in our team in order to succeed,” Amuneke concluded.
While Osimhen has remained mute over the spat with Lookman and Bruno Onyemaechi on the pitch, Lookman has played down the effect of the action off the pitch.
The 2024 CAF Player of the Year also took to his Instagram page to send a cryptic message to fans. He posted a picture of himself and Osimhen celebrating a goal, with the caption ‘together always. Teammates like Stanley Nwabali, Wilfred Ndidi and Akor Adams also hailed the duo with emojis in the comments.
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Despite having the most goal involvements at the AFCON 2025 tournament, Ademola Lookman has maintained he's not after any personal awards in Morocco.
After the heartbreak in Ivory Coast two years ago, and the pain from missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a dream come true for Lookman, will be Nigeria lifting the AFCON 2025 tournament. Nothing else matters.
