Osimhen’s Injury: A Boost For Bafana Bafana?

Star striker Victor Osimhen is a major doubt for Nigeria’s crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Bafana Bafana on Tuesday.

Osimhen, the 2023 African Footballer of the Year, hobbled off the field with an injury in the first half of Nigeria’s 1-0 win against Rwanda on Saturday.

The former Napoli striker was seen with an ice pack on his left ankle, and it’s unclear whether the Super Eagles were taking a precautionary measure or if the injury is severe.

Given that the game was a scoreless draw at the time of his substitution, his withdrawal suggests the injury might be more serious than a simple precaution.

Nigeria, who struggled to break down Rwanda in the first half, eventually secured the win with the help of new Wolves striker Toluwalase Arokodare, who scored the only goal of the game six minutes into the second half.

Reports indicate that Osimhen has been officially ruled out of the clash against Bafana Bafana at Toyota Stadium. This news is a significant boost for Bafana Bafana, as a win would bring them closer to securing their spot in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year.

Bafana Bafana’s Qualifying Chances

Bafana Bafana currently sit on 16 points after seven matches, five points ahead of Benin. They beat Lesotho 3-0 at the Bloemfontein venue on Saturday.

In the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The four best-placed runners-up will get a second chance via a play-off round.

Impressively, Bafana has not lost to Nigeria in a home World Cup qualifying match since September 2008, when Kalu Uche scored the game’s only goal in Port Elizabeth.

Bafana Bafana’s last home loss in a World Cup qualifier was against Senegal in 2017.