A few minutes after Victor Osimhen was subbed off in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe, something catastrophic happened. As if energised by his absence, the Brave Warriors stunned the home crowd by equalising Osimhen’s goal in the tension soaked encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Right there on the bench where he had retired to, Osimhen fell backwards in utter shock as he clutched his head tightly in his hands in disbelief. Even though the match was on, the time left didn’t inspire any hope that the Super Eagles would conjure a magic to restore their lead.
The visitors had released the sucker punch when it was too late for the Super Eagles to respond.
When the final whistle went, the whole arena became like a graveyard. There was a loud silence, pain and fear all over the faces of the players. While most of them, including the disappointed fans, tried to display the spirit of sportsmanship, the pain was unbearable for Osimhen. Like Rachael in the Bible, it was simply impossible to console him.
As he walked towards the dressing room, he couldn’t conceal his frustration and anger towards his teammates. Feeling let down by them, he shoved aside any one of them who came to plead with him to take it easy.
Obviously, he felt betrayed by them because they were unable to protect his goal, which would have given the team the crucial points in the match.
Meanwhile, the news that South Africa had beaten the Cheetah’s of Benin Republic in Abidjan 2-0 to move to 13 points was everywhere, making the 1-1 draw in Uyo even more painful.
Everyone was thinking about the missed opportunity to close the gap on South Africa and also move into the second position in Group C.
While some may feel that Osimhen overreacted by openly condemning his teammates, those who know him very well will understand where he is coming from. He hardly compromises his winning mentality. Once he is on the pitch, he does everything possible to win, and if he fails, he doesn’t pretend that it is well with him.
Osimhen’s fighting spirit is what endears him to many Nigerian football fans. He literally drives forward the team. Even without the captain’s armband, he plays the role of a captain, inspiring his teammates and pointing out danger whenever and wherever there is one.
Apart from motivating his teammates to give their best, he does the most important thing in a football match – score plenty of goals and assist others. No wonder, with a fewer number of matches, he has overtaken Chief Segun Odegbami to place second in Nigeria’s all-time scorers list with 25 goals from 48 matches.
He is second only to Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory), who scored 37 goals in 58 matches. But at the rate he scores goals, it may not take long for him to break Yekini’s record.
Due to the vital role Osimhen plays in the present Super Eagles, once he’s unavoidably absent for selection, the team struggles to score goals.
One other important thing is that even when he fails to score, he creates opportunities for others to score goals. Whenever defenders pay too much attention to him, they inadvertently make way for his co-strikers to score.
So, Osimhen is always dangerous with or without the ball. This is why he is one of the most sought-after strikers in the world.
Unfortunately, even with the prolific marksman, the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup are presently hanging in the balance, leaving many to wonder what would be the fate of this generation of players, if they miss back-to-back, the biggest football tournament in the world.
Well, the reason for the messy situation the Super Eagles have found themselves in is not far-fetched. As we all know, the talismanic striker missed the first four matches and only joined the fray when the team was already languishing in the fifth position on the table with only three points from four matches.
Interestingly, in his first appearance since the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November 2023, he steered the Super Eagles to a historic win against Rwanda in Kigali.
His brace was a testament to his goal scoring prowess. In his second appearance, which was against Zimbabwe in Uyo, he scored the only goal that was later given away by his teammates. The match ended in another 1-1 draw, leaving Nigeria in a quagmire as far as the World Cup qualification is concerned.
Anyway, in two matches, the predator scored three goals, which is more than half of the number of goals that the Super Eagles scored in the four matches that they had played without him.
It will be recalled that the team drew 1-1 with Lesotho at home in the opening match, forced Zimbabwe to a 1-1 in Harare, and recorded another 1-1 draw with South Africa at home before they finally lost 1-2 to Benin Republic.
Now, everyone is saying that had he played in the other four matches, the Super Eagles wouldn’t have been in this trouble.
Therefore, I am one of those waiting to add Osimhen to the list of the people who made Nigeria miss the 2026 World Cup if it is finally confirmed that the ticket has eluded Nigeria again.
The truth is that Osimhen wept bitterly in Uyo, but he can’t completely exonerate himself from blame.
Although he missed the first two matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe due to injury, it is doubtful if his absence against South Africa and Benin Republic was for the same reason.
It is said that he stayed away in solidarity with his youth coach, who was snubbed for Finidi George.
His patriotism is never in doubt, but somewhere along the line, it seems he allowed sentiments to override his commitment to national interest.
Of course, those who accused him of feigning injury to stay away from the matches against South Africa and Benin Republic were proved right when his cold war with Finidi became an open secret.
Now, he is back desperately trying to save the deplorable situation, but it is beginning to appear impossible.
In truth, those who want to put the blame of the looming disaster on Osimhen can do so confidently because we all know that a half-fit or injured Osimhen is far more effective than some of the players who call themselves Super Eagles strikers.
Therefore, having known that he is presently with the team’s goal scoring boots, nothing should have kept him away from the matches. Even if he was truly injured, it is doubtful if the injury was serious enough to keep him out of the four matches.
Well, apart from Osimhen, others like the NFF and their once preferred manager, Finidi, also played their infamous roles in the messy situation but for now, let’s continue to pray for the Super Eagles to qualify for the World Cup.
If anything happens to the contrary, then we shall apportion the blame more appropriately.
By David Ngobua
