The drama never ends for Nigeria’s Super Eagles! Still reeling from their World Cup heartbreak, the team is now hyping up their “redemption mission” at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. Star striker Victor Osimhen, who’s been paraded as the face of Nigerian football, is making headlines with his emotional outpourings about the pain of missing out on the World Cup and the team’s supposed “burning desire” to make amends at AFCON.

Let’s not forget: Nigeria’s World Cup dreams crashed and burned in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout against Congo DR. After a rollercoaster playoff run, the Super Eagles fell at the final hurdle, leaving fans devastated and the squad scrambling for answers. Osimhen, never one to shy away from the spotlight, is now promising that the team will use this “painful memory” as motivation to conquer Africa.

“Last month was really disappointing,” Osimhen told the media, as if fans needed reminding. He insists the squad has “moved on,” but the sting of failure is apparently fueling their AFCON ambitions. The striker, now at Galatasaray, is expected to lead the charge in Nigeria’s opening match against Tanzania, and he’s already talking up the tournament as a “big opportunity” to fix past mistakes.

Osimhen is pulling out all the stops, declaring, “We want to use this opportunity of coming to AFCON to try to make up for so many disappointments that we have given them and use everything we have to make them happy. For us, now we are going to war and Tuesday is the first one and we will give everything.” Dramatic words, but can the Super Eagles actually deliver?

The group stage won’t be a walk in the park. Nigeria is up against Tanzania, Uganda, and Tunisia,the same Tunisia that sent them packing in 2021. Still, Osimhen is already talking up Nigeria and hosts Morocco as tournament favorites, while warning that “anybody can shock you.”

Off the pitch, there’s been even more drama. Former captain William Troost-Ekong, MVP at the last AFCON, abruptly retired before the squad was announced. The captain’s armband has now landed on Wilfred Ndidi, with Osimhen publicly backing the decision and calling for unity. “Every one of us will support him because he is a good person on and off the pitch,” Osimhen said, toeing the party line.

Meanwhile, coach Eric Chelle is under the microscope, with the Nigerian federation demanding nothing less than a trip to the AFCON final. Osimhen, ever the team player, is singing the coach’s praises and insisting that “training has been really intense.”

Fellow forward Ademola Lookman is also jumping on the bandwagon, claiming that the pain of World Cup failure will somehow transform into AFCON glory. “If it all comes together, we will be great,” Lookman said, echoing the same old lines about unity and fighting spirit.

So, as Nigeria gears up for their AFCON opener, the message from the camp is loud and clear: the Super Eagles are wounded, but they’re promising to turn their pain into power. Whether this is genuine resolve or just more media hype remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure,the pressure is on, and the whole continent will be watching to see if Nigeria can actually back up their big talk with results.