Nigeria manager, Jose Peseiro has leapt to the defense of star forward Victor Osimhen after he put in a performance that did not excite fans in the doubleheader against Guinea-Bissau during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles lost 1-0 to the Djurtus in Abuja before winning by the same scoreline in Monday’s encounter in Bissau which returned the Nigerians back to the top of Group A.
Osimhen was singled-out for performing poorly in both legs where he cut a frustrated figure and was caught offside almost 10 times across the two games. This is far from the mercurial forward Osimhen has been for Napoli this season where he leads the Serie A top scorer’s charts with 21 goals, added to another four in the UEFA Champions League.
Peseiro has however defended Osimhen, claiming it is natural he fails to replicate his form for the national team owing to the immense pressure that comes with representing the country.
“Victor is among the top scorers in Europe but it happens,” Peseiro after Monday’s match in Bissau.
“Sometimes the people complain about the players, it’s not true they are not committed. The players come here and feel the pressure, they feel the stress.
“Osimhen came here to fight for our shirt, for the Super Eagles. Osimhen now feels the pressure more with our national team than in Napoli, it’s not good.
“I spoke with him, the first match, he started the match in Nigeria. He started feeling the pressure – I need to score, I need to do everything well.
“When a player puts it in his mind I need to do everything well, sometimes he doesn’t do well, but he made a fantastic sacrifice.
“When our players put on the shirt to defend the Super Eagles, they are under more pressure. The fans, people need to understand that.
“They feel too much pressure because they want to do well for the country, family, flag and Super Eagles. That moment, they commit more mistakes, they don’t do things well.”
Back on top! #AFCON2023Q #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/sfqn6FeVEF
— ???????? Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 28, 2023
Despite drawing blanks against Guinea-Bissau, Osimhen still remains the top scorer in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with five goals, tied with Senegal and Bayern Minich forward Sadio Mane.
