- Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has confirmed that a fan in the stands tried to distract him with a laser during Nigeria’s 4-1 win over Gabon in Morocco’s World Cup qualifiers. Osimhen scored twice.
- He said he saw the person responsible and believed the tactic was used because the opponent was aware of the high quality of the Nigerian team but he chose to ignore it and focus on the game.
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has confirmed that he was deliberately laser-targeted during Nigeria’s 4-1 win over Gabon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying semi-final play-off on Thursday. Osimhen scored twice in the match in Morocco, with team-mates Akole Adams and Chidra Ayuk also scoring.
The laser was clearly visible on Osimhen’s face immediately after he scored Nigeria’s third goal.
Speaking about the incident after the game, the Galatasaray striker said he saw the man trying to distract him:
“I actually saw the guy pointing a laser at me; that guy was in the stands,” Osimhen told ESPN UK.
The striker said the act was an attempt to disrupt the Super Eagles’ performance:
“They knew what quality we had. They were trying to distract us with lasers. I just let it go and I didn’t even think about it.”
In other news… US economist Scott Bolshevik sparked controversy after he mocked a Nigerian man on social media for publicly celebrating his newfound Canadian citizenship.
The Nigerian man, using the handle @josh0491, shared the photo and emotional caption expressing his joy at becoming a Canadian citizen:
“I dreamed of it, prayed for it, worked for it when I didn’t even know how to get there. But today here I am, living it and feeling normal. #CertifiedCanadian”
Scott Bolshevik found the celebrations “interesting” and commented under the post using his own X account, questioning the intensity of the celebrations and living conditions in Nigeria:
“No group celebrates Western citizenship like Nigerians do. They see it as a spectacle and you would think escaping your homeland would be a dream. Is Nigeria really that uninhabitable?”
The exchange sparked a debate about the “Japa” trend (immigration) among Nigerians and the perception of the country as an uninhabitable place on the global stage.
