Super Eagles defender Bright Osayi-Samuel has explained what led to the altercation between him and Algerian forward Anis Hadj Moussa at the Stade de Marrakech.
Tensions ran high during Nigeria’s comfortable 2-0 victory over Algeria in the AFCON 2025 quarter-final, culminating in a heated exchange.
The incident occurred in the 68th minute of the match when Osayi-Samuel, who was enjoying one of his best performances for Nigeria, was shielding the ball out of play when a frustrated Moussa shoved him from behind.
The Birmingham City right-back reacted by confronting the Feyenoord winger, who then pushed him in the throat area.
Osayi explains issue
Speaking after the match, Osayi-Samuel acknowledged that while Moussa initiated the conflict, his own response was excessive, especially given the context of the game.
“I was agitated because he punched my face. He hit my face, and I overreacted,” the former QPR full-back explained.
“We were winning 2-0, so really and truly I shouldn’t have done it. I should have just ignored it, but I overreacted. It’s football, you know.”
With the victory secured, Nigeria now turns its attention to a semi-final showdown against the host nation, Morocco. Osayi-Samuel emphasised the team’s determination to advance and avoid being eliminated by the hosts.
“It’s a big opportunity for me. These are games that I dream of, and I want to win the AFCON, so there are opportunities I have to take,” he stated.
“I think today I did that, and the team did that. Each game as it comes, Morocco will be a different team.”
The highly anticipated AFCON semi-final between Nigeria and Morocco is scheduled for Wednesday at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah, with kick-off at 9:00 PM WAT.