Senegal captain, Kalidou Koulibaly has revealed that the absence of Victor Osimhen in the Super Eagles’ 2021 Africa Cup of Nations squad was a big factor in their elimination.
WuzupNigeria reported that Osimhen had been a major doubt for the 33rd AFCON tournament in Cameroon after he fractured his cheekbone and eye socket in November.
Although the former Lille man made a stunning recovery after he was expected to be out of action for three months, Napoli were reluctant to release for the competition.
But despite declaring himself fit for the showdown, Osimhen was axed from the squad about a week to the opening ceremony after contracting COVID-19.
Interim manager, Augustine Eguaoven, was obviously left without a choice about 24 hours before the opening day in Cameroon when he turned out negative for the virus.
Nigeria started the tournament with victories over finalist, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau and Sudan in the group stages but crashed out after a 1-0 loss to Tunisia in the Round of 16.
However, Koulibaly who is teammates with Osimhen at the Italian club, Napoli, revealed that the 23-year-old’s attitude and force could have helped the Eagles in their quest for a fourth AFCON trophy.
Koulibaly said, “He’s (Osimhen) a big player with great attitude and force which could have helped the Eagles.
“Many teams were scared of them with the way they started but were unlucky against Tunisia.”
Meanwhile, Senegal aim for their first-ever AFCON trophy against Egypt on Sunday.
