Equatorial Guinea goaltender Jesús Owono has made a commitment to thwart Nigeria’s striker Victor Osimhen as both teams prepare to face off in the Africa Cup of Nations today, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
Owono has also pledged to halt the advancements of Osimhen’s teammates including Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Terem Moffi, and Ahmed Musa.
Both teams find themselves in Group A alongside the hosts, Ivory Coast. Osimhen emerged as the top scorer during the 2023 AFCON qualifying series with 10 goals, ahead of Senegal’s Sadio Mane who finished with five goals.
Addressing the media at his pre-match press conference, Owono stated, “I will exert my utmost to impede Victor Osimhen and the other Super Eagles players to secure a positive result in the opening match.”
“We were relatively unknown in the last AFCON, and we performed admirably. Teams now have more information about us in this AFCON. We have undergone extensive training in preparation for the challenge,” he added.
Juan Obiang, the Equatoguinean coach, expressed confidence in his goalkeeper, saying, “He’s a modern goalkeeper. His charisma speaks for itself on the pitch. I greatly admire his kicking game.”
This year marks Nigeria’s 20th appearance in the final tournament, with their debut in 1963, and subsequent appearances in 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2021 finals.
For the Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea, the motivation before Sunday’s fixture stems from their impressive track record of progressing to the last eight whenever they participate in the continental showpiece.