The Eagles have created 12 big scoring chances but have scored only twice, a situation they have to correct when they face Cameroon on Saturday.
The Super Eagles have advanced to the round of 16, securing the second position in Group A with seven points.
Despite their progress, a closer look at their goal-scoring performance reveals a rather subdued output, especially considering the prolific striker Victor Osimhen in their ranks.
Osimhen, who recently earned the Africa Player of the Year award for 2023, has a remarkable goal-scoring record with 26 goals in 29 appearances for club and country in all competitions in 2023.
However, in the current AFCON 2023 tournament, the Super Eagles managed to score only three goals. These include a penalty against the hosts, an own goal against Guinea-Bissau, and a header on the goal line in the match against Equatorial Guinea.
Osimhen, playing as the designated No. 9 in his first AFCON as a key player, has faced criticism for his goal-scoring performance despite his hard work and enthusiasm.
Analysing the statistics, Osimhen contributed to 32 per cent of the team's 41 shots in the group phase, with nine of those shots on target.
However, he missed several significant goal-scoring opportunities, accounting for 70 per cent of the team's offside calls. The Super Eagles, who create an average of 4.3 big chances per game, should theoretically have scored more goals, but they have struggled to convert these opportunities into goals.
While acknowledging that Osimhen is not solely responsible for the goal-scoring challenges, he has been a major contributor to the missed chances.
Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro remains confident in Osimhen's abilities, expressing optimism that he will find his scoring form in the upcoming matches. Peseiro emphasised Osimhen's importance to the team and acknowledged the tough competition in the tournament.
"For our next match, Osimhen will score," Peseiro confidently stated on Thursday after the team's training. "He's important for the team. He's the top scorer, but this is a different tournament and tough competition," Peseiro added.
The question arises whether Osimhen is receiving adequate service from the playmakers, and while this may be partly true, the analysis indicates that even when chances are created for him, Osimhen has either missed them or been unfortunate to be caught offside.
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It is crucial to highlight the limited contribution to chance creation by the wingers deployed by Peseiro. Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, and the at-times frustrating Samuel Chukwueze have been utilised on both the right and left flanks.
While Lookman delivered the cross that led to Osimhen's equalizer against Equatorial Guinea and Simon provided the cross for Opa Sangante's own goal, there has been a general lack of synergy between the wingers and Osimhen.
Notably, statistics indicate that the wing-backs, Ola Aina and Zaidu Sanusi, have produced almost the same number of crosses compared to the three wingers.
Aina has contributed seven crosses; Sanusi has delivered 14, totalling 21, almost equalling the combined total of 22 crosses from the three wingers.
The observed deficiency seems to stem from the wingers' struggle to anticipate and connect with Osimhen's rapid movements along the defensive line, affecting their ability to deliver effective crosses.
Kelechi Iheanacho's deployment and the withdrawal of one winger may be the solution. The Leicester City forward has an eye for the defence-splitting pass.
He has also played alongside Osimhen for at least four years and thus understands the forward's movement better than most. The quality Iheanacho brings to the game is being able to control the ball without looking downward and thus see openings quicker than many of his contemporaries.
Despite these concerns, Peseiro and many Nigerian fans remain hopeful that Osimhen will deliver in the upcoming crucial matches, including the encounter against Cameroon.
