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Super Eagles star striker, Victor Osimhen, has been left out of the Super Eagles trip to Bouaké city in Cote d’Ivoire for the 2023 Africa of Nations (AFCON) semifinal clash with Bafana Bafana of South Africa slated for Wednesday.
The development followed a sudden abdominal discomfort suffered by the Napoli FC player, hence he was placed under close watch with a member of the medical team in Abidjan to look after him. This was disclosed by the National Team on its verified social media handles on Monday night. It added that if Osimhen is cleared by Tuesday morning, he will join the rest of the squad before 5pm ahead of the clash.
The Super Eagles wrote: “Members of the team traveled from Abidjan to Bouaké today via a 10pm Air Cote D’Ivoire flight. Osimhen did not however make the trip as a result of an abdominal discomfort. Team medics confirmed that he has been placed under close watch with a member of the medical team staying behind in Abidjan with him. If cleared by tomorrow morning, he will join the rest of the squad before 5pm.”
LEADERSHIP reports earlier that the Super Eagles head coach, José Peseiro, had called on striker Victor Osimhen and his attacking partners – Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon – to “step up” their game when they face South Africa in the first semifinal match of the ongoing 2023 AFCON tournament on Wednesday in Bouake, Cote D’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles have been quietly efficient in reaching the last-4, with three 1-0 wins in their last four games. The other was a 2-0 success against Cameroon. But their next opponents, South Africa, have also kept four clean sheets in a row, and Peseiro knows his team will have a tough time breaking down a resolute Bafana Bafana.
“We’re missing some key creators like (Kelechi) Iheanacho and (Joe) Aribo, so it’s been hard. But others must now step up,” he said. Ademola Lookman has scored Nigeria’s last three goals at the finals in the Ivory Coast, and Victor Osimhen got a goal in their pool opener against Equatorial Guinea.
But the other two strikes were a penalty from William Troost-Ekong and an own goal from Guinea-Bissau’s Opa Sangante. “Once again, we played against Angola in the quarterfinals without conceding, and scored a goal, but I would have liked more. The team could have created more opportunities,” Peseiro stated.
