AFCON: Lookman joins the big boys club with Okocha,others
Super Eagles and Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman joined the club of Nigerian players who have scored three or more goals in the knockout stage in a single AFCON edition. Lookman connected with Zaidu Sanusi and Moses Simon to deliver a photo finish strike against Angola in the 41st minute of Friday’s quarterfinal clash.
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Zaidu Sanusi picked out Moses Simon’s run on the left flank. The Nantes man danced past his marker before setting up Lookman, who made no mistake from seven yards out. Ademola’s goal brings it to five, the number of goals he has scored in this AFCON so far thus levelling with Equatorial Guinea’s Nsue who prior Equatorial Guinea’s ouster, was leading the goal scorer’s chat. Super Eagles qualification for the semifinals thus offers Lookman another opportunity to increase his goal scoring tally and perhaps end up emerging the highest goal scorer in this tournament.
By his feat Lookman has joined the record books as the fourth Nigerian to score three or more goals in the knockout rounds of a single AFCON edition, after Odion Ighalo in 2019 (4), Jay-Jay Okocha in 2004 (3) and Rashidi Yekini in 1994 (3).
The Eagles have recorded some good results in this tournament going beyond their last edition crash out in the round of 16 and again going beyond the quarterfinal for the first time since 2019.
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Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has proved to be a solid rock by his performance Friday night. Returning from injury that initially put doubt over his fitness for the quarterfinal encounter, Nwabali made some super saves and with ease too.
In the 77th minute, Nigeria celebrated a second goal after Osimhen nodded home a freekick but VAR ruled it off correctly for offside.