Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi forming a solid defensive partnership for Nigeria at AFCON 2025
The Super Eagles have been rock-solid at AFCON 2025, and Sunday Oliseh isn’t holding back in his praise. The 1994 AFCON winner has highlighted Nigeria’s defensive excellence, joking that goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has essentially been “on holiday” thanks to the team’s collective solidity.
Nigeria’s campaign so far has been near-perfect: 5 wins, 14 goals scored, and just 4 conceded. The latest clean sheets against Mozambique and Algeria underscore a defense that’s growing stronger with every match.
Oliseh singled out center-back Calvin Bassey as a breakout star, complementing the experienced Semi Ajayi at the back.
“Nwabali has been on holiday. That tells you how good our defensive network has been,” Oliseh said.
“Look at the two central defenders. A player nobody has been talking about that is impressing me so much is Calvin Bassey. My God, this boy has totally grown in confidence. He is a rock. You throw everything at this man, he would handle it. He is well complimented with Ajayi in the middle.”
For Oliseh, championship-winning football always starts from the back. “Every team, you need good strikers to be able to finish up, but nothing makes you win titles better than your defense and your midfield,” he added.
While the defense has been formidable, Oliseh also emphasized the importance of Ademola Lookman, the Atalanta forward who consistently propels the team forward.
“The player that I think is our most important player has been Lookman. This boy has made it difficult. In fact, there was a game I did statistics on him, the game against Mozambique, Lookman almost never passes one ball backward. He is always driving forward.”
With both a strong defense and a dynamic attack led by Lookman, the Super Eagles appear well-positioned to challenge for the AFCON 2025 trophy.
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