Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen earned praise from Nigerian fans for his stamina and fitness after passing multiple dope tests by CAF along with teammates Willian Troost-Ekong and Moses Simon at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Nigerian fans online were sure Osimhen would clear the dope tests and were relieved when CAF announced the results.
Osimhen scored Nigeria’s first goal at the tournament in the 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea and won the penalty that gave them a 1-0 victory over Ivory Coast. He also impressed against Cameroon in the 2-0 win in the last-16 on Sunday.
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Osimhen has been a key player for Nigeria at the AFCON tournament, playing more than 90 minutes in three out of four games, and 88 minutes in the game against Ivory Coast.
The 25-year-old is a forceful presence on the pitch, always helping the team defensively and pressuring the opposition defenses, which resulted in Nigeria’s first goal against Cameroon on Saturday.
Osimhen showed his strength and awareness to snatch the ball from a shocked Indomitable Lions defender Oumar Gonzalez near the penalty area, then found Ademola Lookman with a cross-field pass to the right of the box, and the Atalanta winger’s shot slipped through Ondoa’s hands to put Nigeria ahead. A sports physician, who spoke anonymously, said Osimhen’s power play was normal.
“Doping tests can be random or targeted, the way they are done depends on the sporting federation or the testing body on site. But I don’t think his performances are unusual for an athlete who trains and works on his fitness.
“I’m sure the Italian FA has tested him many times. A doping test is just done to make sure everyone plays fair under football’s fair play rules.”
Nigerian fans praised the energetic striker on the social media platform, X, amid the doping tests. @ThefootwearG bragged about Nigeria’s natural abilities and not needing any drugs.
“They ran a surprise dope test for some of our players, Osimhen, Moses Simon, and Ekong. Guess what ?? All results were negative. We don’t need drugs to boost, we are natural,” he wrote.
A fan with the username, @ojimipeke, said, “Well done to Victor Osimhen on passing CAF’s dope test.” Some fans mentioned that Osimhen’s hawking past in Lagos influenced his style of play.
Johnson Nnani wrote, “They are not ready. They haven’t been watching him since his youth days. The hustle has been there. This is not Gegenpress (a tactic that relies on winning the ball back).”
Chris Daramola said, “They must be amazed by how high Osimhen can jump.”
Another fan with the username, @itz_danialves, wrote, “Osimhen is a beast. Imagine if he plays in a team that has service like Bayern, City, or Madrid he will score so much till he wins the Balon d’Or. Let CAF, FIFA, UEFA, EU, UN, ECOWAS, and NATO do dope tests for him, OSIMHEN is divinely good as a player.”
@WangAustin2 thinks his performance is not surprising based on Osimhen’s background.
@UTDTreytips wrote, “For real, he played like someone who is on something but he has always been that energetic player, he doesn’t give up on anyone. He was fired up.”
The current CAF Player of The Year will lead the attack for the three-time champions when they play Angola in the quarter-finals on Friday.
