2022 World Cup playoffs: Ghanaian fans scared of Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen ahead of first leg

Published on: 24 March 2022

Some Ghanaian fans have disclosed that they are scared of in-form Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final play-offs.

Osimhen has scored 11 goals in 20 appearances for Napoli in the Seria A this season

He is the first Nigerian to score in double numbers in two consecutive Serie A seasons, and he is only the fourth African player to do so in the Italian top flight, following Weah for Milan, Eto'o for Inter Milan, and Salah for AS Roma.

Ahead of the Ghana vs Nigeria first leg tie at the Baba Yara stadium, some Ghanaians compared the Super Eagles attack to the Black Stars.

Sylvester simply said “For me, the Nigerian player who I am afraid of the most is none other than the Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen who is nothing but a beast in front of goal.

“That guy has got everything it takes to be a world-class striker, the way he always wants to fight for every ball and just look at his conversion rate, he is up there with the best.

“To me, he is the player I fear most in the Super Eagles. People have been talking about Odion Ighalo too but if you ask me, I don’t fear him as he is no longer the same striker I used to know.

“Forget about the fact he has scored lots of goals in Saudi Arabia, that is a small league. The other Nigerian strikers I am scared of are Almeria’s Umar Sadiq and Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis.”

Another Ghanaian football faithful, Duncan Adjoa also made mention of Osimhen, saying “I am so ashamed to say it but the Black Stars do not have any striker who is as good as Osimhen right now.

“To me, the game on Friday will end in a 1-1 draw because I really don’t know who will score the goals for the Black Stars, but Nigeria can boast of a great number nine in the person of Osimhen.”

The winner of the tie will represent the continent at the World football showpiece which is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December.

The Super Eagles are seeking to qualify for the global showpiece a 7th time and, since 1994, have missed only one of seven editions. The last of three appearances by Ghana was in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved Ghana’s request to admit 40,000 spectators for the first leg match against Nigeria at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

This comes after the Ghana Football Association's request to play the game in a full capacity stadium following the laid-down rules by CAF.

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