Super Eagles forward, Odion Ighalo has inched closer to emerging the highest goal scorer at the 32nd Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt after bagging his fifth goal of the tournament, Completesports.com reports
Ighalo netted the only goal in the Super Eagles’ 1-0 win against Tunisia in the Third-Place Play-Off to move two goals clear of Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez before being forced out by an hamstring injury just before the break.
Interestingly, the 29-year old forward had emerged the overall African top scorer with 7 goals during the AFCON 2019 qualifiers, and it will be the icing on the cake if he eventually wins the tournament’s top scorer award.
Ighalo will now have to wait for the duo of Mane and Mahrez currently with three goals apiece going into Friday’s final between Senegal and Algeria to see if his fice goals record is enough to earn him the top scorer’s award.
The Shanghai Shenhua striker has now equalled the record of former Nigeria international, the Late Rashidi Yekini who scored 5 goals (the highest by any Nigerian) to bag the overall top scorer award in 1994 AFCON in Tunisia which title the Super Eagles won.
By Sulaimon Alao
(Photos: by Ganiyu Yusuf in Cairo)
4 Comments
Thank God he has retired from national team football. He has tried. Give way for younger players. But his reason for retiring is foolish. “I don’t like the way people criticize me on social media “ my brother you can’t control it if it’s the case, don’t use social media. But oh well wish him Goodluck.
Sounds like a consolation prize if he does wins it.
ighalo should win it. It will be surprising if he did not. Wish him luck!
Good luck sake. You served your fatherland well and would forever be remembered for those eye catching goals. Besides, the Green White Green, Nigerian colors you gave coach Rohr, the German, remains his heart indelibe ink. Up Nigerian Super Eagles.