Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen a doubt for AFCON semifinal

Nigeria traveled to Bouaké in Ivory Coast on Monday without their star striker Victor Osimhen ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final match against South Africa on Wednesday.

A team statement just before departure Monday evening said the striker was suffering from an abdominal problem and would remain in Abidjan pending medical clearance.

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According to the press release: “Victor Osimhen will not join us for this trip due to abdominal discomfort. The team doctors confirmed that he was placed under close observation with a member of the medical team remaining in Abidjan with him.

“If it's allowed by tomorrow [Tuesday] morning, he will join the rest of the team before 5 p.m..”

It's unclear exactly what the abdominal discomfort is or what may have caused it, although the striker looked jaded when he was taken off late in the quarter-final win over Angola.

Losing the current African Player of the Year would be a major blow for Nigeria, whose attack has been anchored around the striker's high pressure and energetic movement. Osimhen has been involved in four of Nigeria's six goals so far in the tournament, including scoring the only goal in their opening 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea.

If he is unable to arrive in time for the match, coach Jose Peseiro has options with Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho, Trabzonspor's Paul Onuachu and OGC Nice's Terem Moffi.

Onuachu has been Osimhen's only replacement in this tournament so far, while Iheanacho and Moffi are yet to get minutes.