Nigeria vs Tanzania: The Super Eagles will not win AFCON as Osimhen struggles, but Iwobi deserves more respect

Nigeria’s Super Eagles opened their AFCON 2025 campaign with a 2-1 win over Tanzania on Tuesday evening. 

Goals from Semi Ajayi and Ademola Lookman were enough to give Eric Chelle’s men the vital three points victory against the spirited Taifa stars. 

However, while it was an important win, it was not the best performance from the three-time African Cup of Nations champions. Pulse Sports Managing Editor, Joba Ogunwale, highlights some of the talking points from the game. 

Alex Iwobi has always been the butt of criticism from a section of Nigerian fans, not necessarily because of his performance, but because he is the nephew of one of Nigeria’s most talented players of all time, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha. 

However, it is time to put an end to that criticism and start showing him more respect. Yes, he might not be as talented as his uncle, but he has always been reliable and one of Nigeria’s best players since making his debut, which is why the criticism is unfair. 

Iwobi once again showed his quality against Nigeria, pulling the strings in the middle, even though he did not play in his favoured role. 

The Fulham man made sure the ball danced to his tune with every touch and delivered the Super Eagles’ only accurate cross in the opening half, which led to Ajayi’s opener. 

He continued in the same vein in the second half, setting up Lookman as Nigeria retook the lead after Charles M'Mombwa restored parity for Tanzania. 

Yes, it is only the first game of the tournament, but Tuesday’s performance showed that the Super Eagles will likely not win the AFCON. 

Although they won, the three-time African champions are not just an exciting team to watch and will likely be exposed by teams on their level. 

The game against the Taifa Stars was supposed to be their easiest game of the group, yet they struggled to impose themselves for the first 30 minutes. 

Although they created loads of chances as the game went on, the three-time African champions’ performance is unlikely to send shivers down the spine of their rivals. 

However, while the attack looks promising, it is Nigeria’s defence that will be a cause for worry as the tournament progresses. 

Irrespective of who the team is facing, there is always that feeling that the team will concede a goal. The Taifa stars did not really offer anything going forward, but the moment they got a sniff, they converted. 

This is not a good look for a team with aspirations to win the trophy. In a tournament like this, you need a water-tight defence to win the trophy, and based on today’s performance, the Super Eagles do not have that and will crumble under pressure when they face a quality team. 

AFCON 2025 was supposed to be another opportunity for Osimhen to silence his critics and deliver for Nigeria in a major competition. 

For all his greatness in Nigeria’s jersey, Osimhen has not shown his quality for the Super Eagles in an international tournament. 

One could argue that this is only his third competition for the Super Eagles, but this was supposed to be his moment. 

He is at the peak of his career and comes into this tournament in fine form. Yet, his performance against Tanzania was poor, and it is not likely to get his critics off his back. 

The Galatasaray striker is seen as the favourite to win the top scorer, but was wasteful in front of goal. He could and should have had a brace, but was not just at his best, despite finding himself in promising positions. 

With just one goal in three AFCON competitions, this is a far from ideal start for Osimhen, even though his overall work for the team should not be questioned. 

While Osimhen continues to struggle at the AFCON, Lookman continues to find it easy. The Atalanta man was Nigeria’s best striker at AFCON 2023 with three goals, and he continued from where he left off, as he scored the winner against the Taifa Stars. 

Although Eric Chelle’s preference to play a 4-4-2 diamond made things difficult for him, Lookman still made his presence felt in the final third. 

The former Leicester City player not only scored the winning goal but was also involved in almost all of Nigeria's attacks, contributing two key passes and two accurate crosses.