Sunday Oliseh Picks Akor Adams as Star Performer in Super Eagles’ AFCON Victory

Spread the love

Former Super Eagles captain and ex-Juventus midfielder, Sunday Oliseh, has named Akor Adams as Nigeria’s standout player in their 2-1 victory over Tanzania at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, despite strong performances from several established stars.

Nigeria kicked off their Group C campaign with a hard-earned win in Fès, Morocco, thanks to goals from defender Semi Ajayi and winger Ademola Lookman. The Super Eagles were pushed hard by a resilient Tanzanian side before eventually securing all three points.

Ajayi opened the scoring with a powerful first-half header and later earned the Man of the Match award for his commanding defensive display. After Tanzania drew level early in the second half, Lookman quickly restored Nigeria’s lead with a fine strike from outside the box.

Midfield maestro Alex Iwobi was instrumental, providing both assists in the game. His performance made him the first Nigerian player since John Obi Mikel in 2010 to register two assists in a single AFCON match. Victor Osimhen was also a constant threat and believed he had scored, but his effort was ruled out by VAR for a narrow offside call.

However, Oliseh, who was on commentary duty for AfroSports, reserved special praise for Adams’ all-round contribution. According to him, the forward’s work rate and intelligent movement stood out throughout the match.

“Akor Adams really impressed me against Tanzania,” Oliseh said. “He was everywhere, trying to create opportunities and drive the team forward.”

Playing his first-ever AFCON match, the Sevilla striker injected pace, energy, and tactical flexibility into Nigeria’s attack. He came close to scoring with a first-half header that hit the crossbar, created space for Osimhen’s disallowed goal, and frequently drifted wide from his right-sided position to stretch Tanzania’s defence.

Nigeria had earlier gone ahead through Ajayi before Charles M’Mombwa briefly brought Tanzania level shortly after halftime. The equaliser, however, lasted just minutes before Lookman struck to put the Super Eagles back in front.

Despite the encouraging performance, Adams acknowledged that Nigeria still has areas to improve ahead of their next Group C encounter against Tunisia.

“The most important thing in tournaments is getting the win,” Adams said. “But we know we must improve. You can’t play the same way every game and expect the same outcome.”

He also pointed to missed opportunities, adding that converting more chances would have made the contest more comfortable for the team.