Nigeria picked up four points and scored two goals in the first two games of the AFCON tournament, defeating Ivory Coast and drawing with Equatorial Guinea.
Super Eagles and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has revealed the main reason why he conceded a penalty to William Troost-Ekong against Ivory Coast instead of taking it himself, Soccernet.ng reported.
Osimhen, 25, scored the equalizer for Jose Peseiro’s side in the AFCON opener against Equatorial Guinea and converted a penalty against Ivory Coast after being fouled by Ousmane Diomande.
It was expected that the CAF Player of the Year award winner would take a penalty, but the day’s captain, William Troost-Ekong, stood up and gave Nigeria the lead from the spot.
In his post-match press conference, Osimhen reiterated that it was the coach’s decision to allow Econ to take the penalty and there was nothing wrong with it.
“It was the coach. He wanted me to take it away, but I have to respect it, he’s the captain. For me, who gets the penalty, who takes the team It doesn’t really matter whether I score or not. I want the team to win. I want the team to progress and that’s the most important thing for me,” said the Serie A Golden Boot winner. .
Osimhen has scored 20 goals in 27 games for the Super Eagles since his debut in 2017 and will aim to help the Nigerian team reach the summit of the AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast.
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