Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has downplayed concerns over the on-field exchange between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 4–0 victory over Mozambique in Monday’s Round of 16 match at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting the matter will be resolved internally.
Osimhen was central to the emphatic win, scoring twice, while Lookman and Akor Adams also found the net to seal a comfortable passage into the quarter-finals.
However, the contest briefly drew attention in the 64th minute, with Nigeria already three goals up, when Osimhen was seen angrily confronting Lookman inside the opposition box.
The Galatasaray striker appeared frustrated over a missed passing opportunity, believing he was better placed to score.
Moments later, Osimhen signalled to be substituted and was replaced by Moses Simon, fuelling speculation about possible tension within the squad.
Addressing the incident during his post-match press conference, Chelle made it clear he would not discuss internal matters publicly.
“This is a question about my management and what happened in the pitch will stay in the group, I don’t need to tell anyone what happened.
“I keep that for me and everything that happened in the group stay in the group so we will see after that and we will talk.”
Turning his attention to the result, Chelle expressed satisfaction with the performance but warned against complacency.
“I’m happy about this game winning by four goals but in reality we didn’t do anything special, we just won one game. If we want to be ambitious we need to continue to improve and keep this quality on the pitch.
“My job now is to keep the players very focus about their training sessions and behaviour.”
The Super Eagles now turn their focus to the quarter-finals, with Chelle emphasizing discipline and continued improvement as key to their AFCON ambitions.
