Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, has showered praise on Victor Osimhen after Nigeria’s hard-fought 3–2 victory over Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Super Eagles have now recorded wins in their opening two matches of the tournament, sealing qualification for the round of 16.
Osimhen opened the scoring for Nigeria, while Wilfred Ndidi and Ademola Lookman also found the net to put Eric Chelle’s side firmly in control. Tunisia responded with two goals after the break, but their late surge was not enough to deny Nigeria all three points.
Speaking during his analysis on SuperSport, Akpeyi highlighted Osimhen’s work rate and commitment, describing the Napoli forward as a player who contributed far beyond his attacking duties.
According to Akpeyi, Osimhen repeatedly tracked back to help the defence, even dropping deep past the midfield line to win balls and support his teammates.
“The Super Eagles deserve credit for what they’ve done so far,” Akpeyi said. “They’ve topped their group and qualified for the round of 16, and this game meant a lot for Victor Osimhen.
“He showed real hunger and determination. There were moments when he was sprinting from attack all the way back into defence, going past midfielders just to help out.
“That shows the level of passion he has and how much playing for Nigeria means to him.”
Akpeyi also admitted that Tunisia’s late pressure caused some nervous moments for Nigeria, noting that the substitutes did not have the desired impact.
“Towards the end, it became tense because Tunisia kept pushing, and our impact players didn’t give us everything we expected,” he added. “But in the end, the most important thing is the result.
“We got the three points, and that’s what really matters.”
