Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has explained Victor Osimhen’s absence from the penalty shootout in Nigeria’s semifinal defeat to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria lost 4–2 in a penalty shootout after extra time, and there have been questions on why Osimhen was taken off late in the game.
Osimhen was taken off near the end of extra time and substituted with Trabzonspor’s Paul Onuachu, which meant the Galatasaray striker would not be in the penalty shootout.
Onuachu then scored Nigeria’s first penalty kick, but missed chances from Samuel Chukwueze and Bruno Onyeamachi were expensive as Morocco moved on to the final.
Chelle explained that Osimhen came to him before the shootout to say he was not fit to play.
“We take penalty kicks during every training session. I have stats showing who shoots best and who shoots worst,” Eric Chelle said on RMC Sport’s After Foot.
“Before the penalty shootout, Victor came to me and said, ‘Coach, my ankle is really bad, it hurts, and I can’t take a penalty kick.’”
The Malian coach, however, did not explain why Alex Iwobi did not take a penalty, even though Alex is one of the main leaders in the Super Eagles team.
He added, “I have my own statistics. Ademola Lookman was the fifth taker. Iwobi, it’s something that I shouldn’t talk about. Whatever happens in the group stays within the group.”
The coach said that penalty decisions depend on how well the team is prepared and how ready the players are.
He also explained that he chose the players who took the penalties during the shootout against Egypt in the third-place playoff.
“Against Egypt, I picked the ones who take the blame, so they have to be responsible,” he said.
Although the Super Eagles did not make it to the final, they still won the bronze medal by beating Egypt in a penalty shootout during the third-place match.
