Africa-Press – Rwanda. Monday, January 5
Round of 16
Nigeria vs Mozambique, 20:00 (Fez Stadium, Fez)
Victor Osimhen has warned Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations rivals that the Super Eagles possess the quality to beat any opponent as they pursue a fourth continental title and a first since 2013.
Nigeria completed the group stages with three wins from three matches, the fourth time they have achieved that feat in 20 AFCON appearances, and head into Monday’s round-of-16 clash against Mozambique in Fez among the tournament’s most in-form sides.
“Yes, I would count my country as one of the favourites,” Osimhen said following the 3-1 win over Uganda.
“We are one of the most feared teams in this tournament. Any team can come and play us. If they are good, they can scale through, but if they are not, we can trample on any team because this team has the quality to do damage to any opponent.”
Nigeria not getting carried away
Despite the overwhelming self-belief, the 27-year-old Galatasaray forward is also preaching caution and humility.
“We respect every team, but we fear nobody,” he said, adding that the knockout phase would pose tougher challenges.
Nigeria last won the AFCON in 2013 and finished runners-up at the previous edition.
“Ending that drought would mean everything,” Osimhen said, revealing the squad remind themselves in training that they “came to Morocco to win the trophy.”
“We don’t get carried away by the hype,” he added. “There is still a lot of work to do. We are taking it game by game.”
It appears Nigeria have quickly moved on from the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup.
The Super Eagles arrived in Morocco with a star-studded squad that features winners of two of the last three African Footballer of the Year Awards: Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen, with Raphael Onyedika, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, and Alex Iwobi in the supporting cast.
The talented West African side delivered a top of the table performance in Group C , winning all three group games to set up a last-16 clash with Mozambique, who finished third in Group F with three points, making their first appearance in an AFCON knockout stage.
Mozambique secured their progress with a 3-2 win over Gabon, ending a 40-year wait for a victory at the continental finals.
Monday’s match will be their toughest test to date, as they seek a maiden win over Nigeria, who have won four of five previous encounters and drawn once.
Nigeria enter the knockout stage with the tournament’s most prolific attack, having scored eight goals across three group matches, and will look to continue that form against the Mambas.
Nigeria Vs Mozambique: Head-to-head record
Nigeria have dominated the fixture historically, winning four of the five encounters and remaining unbeaten overall. Their most recent meeting was a 3–2 friendly win in October 2023, with Terem Moffi, Frank Onyeka and Moses Simon scoring for Nigeria.
Mozambique’s only non-loss came in a goalless draw in a 2009 World Cup qualifier. In competitive action at the Africa Cup of Nations, the only previous meeting saw Nigeria win 3–0 in the 2010 group stage, with Peter Odemwingie scoring twice and Obafemi Martins adding a third. These results underline Nigeria’s historical edge as they prepare to face Mozambique again.
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