After Galatasaray’s 1–0 loss to Kocaelispor on Sunday, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen wasted no time dwelling on the setback, quickly switching his focus to national duty ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup playoff against Gabon.
Kocaelispor took the lead through Dan Agyei’s first-half finish, and although Osimhen thought he had grabbed a late equaliser, the goal was cancelled following a VAR check for offside involving Gabriel Sara. The result left the Turkish champions frustrated at the final whistle.
Speaking to journalists after the match, Osimhen made it clear that his mind was already on Nigeria’s next assignment.
“I have to travel. The game has happened, it has happened. I have moved on from that. Now I focus on my national team,” he said.
The forward is determined to guide the Super Eagles back to the World Cup after they missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.
By Sunday night, 10 players — Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Tolu Arokodare, Olakunle Olusegun, Wilfred Ndidi, Moses Simon, William Troost-Ekong, Benjamin Frederick, and Chidozie Awaziem — had checked into the team’s training camp in Rabat, Morocco.
Team media officer Promise Efoghe confirmed that the camp opened at the Rive Hotel, where the players joined head coach Eric Chelle and his backroom staff to begin full preparations for Thursday’s fixture against Gabon.
The semi-final will take place at the 22,000-capacity Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat, while Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo will battle in the other semi-final at El-Barid Stadium. Winners from both matches will advance to the November 16 final, with a spot in the inter-confederation playoff for the 2026 World Cup at stake.
The Super Eagles are seeking a return to the global stage after last appearing in 2018.
Osimhen heads into international duty in fine form, having scored a hat-trick against Ajax earlier in the week. Despite being denied a goal in Sunday’s league match, the 26-year-old remains one of Galatasaray’s standout performers this season, boasting nine goals in 12 appearances across all competitions.
