Super Eagles: How the fiery Osimhen-Lookman duopoly is driving Nigeria at AFCON 2025

Winger Moses Simon has played down talk of friction in the Super Eagles camp, insisting Nigeria remain fully aligned as they prepare for Saturday’s AFCON 2025 quarterfinal against Algeria. 

In the pre-match press conference on Friday, the Paris FC man addressed the brief on-field exchange between Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen that caught the eye, describing it as part of competitive football rather than a sign of deeper issues.

“Yes, we play for them, they’re the two best players in the African continent. There is no time for who is the best or not the best, we all are the best and we just want to win,” Simon said.

Osimhen & Lookman: Chemistry, pedigree, numbers behind Super Eagles dynamic duo

Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have combined for a significant share of Nigeria’s goals at AFCON 2025, repeatedly deciding games with direct, ruthless contributions. Their understanding has grown with each outing, quietly challenging the long-held view that both attackers cannot thrive in the same attacking line.

Both forwards have now assisted each other eight times for the Super Eagles: twice against São Tomé and Príncipe in AFCON 2023 qualifiers, against Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon at AFCON 2023, Rwanda in 2026 World Cup qualifying, and three times already at AFCON 2025.

There is also pedigree involved that is easy to overlook. Between them, Lookman and Osimhen account for two of the last three CAF African Footballer of the Year awards, a level of elite quality few teams at AFCON 2025 can match in one forward pair.

That partnership has been eased by the work of others. Akor Adams’ selfless movement, hold-up play and willingness to vacate central spaces have allowed both stars to operate closer to goal. In that structure, chemistry has followed function and the Super Eagles have looked the better for it.