Bright Osayi-Samuel delivered a tireless and commanding performance as Nigeria recorded a deserved 2–0 victory over Algeria to book a place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Birmingham City full-back was one of Nigeria’s standout players on the night, producing an all-action display down the right flank that combined strong defensive discipline with constant attacking support.
Osayi-Samuel won key defensive battles, made important recoveries, and repeatedly pushed forward to stretch the Algerian defence, forcing several fouls and helping Nigeria maintain pressure for long spells of the game. His pace and work rate caused consistent problems for Algeria, who struggled to contain his overlapping runs.
Nigeria dominated large periods of the encounter, showing maturity and tactical discipline as they shut down Algeria’s attacking threats while remaining dangerous on the counter. Osayi-Samuel’s balance between defence and attack played a major role in keeping the Super Eagles compact and aggressive.
At the end of the match, the defender was selected for routine post-match doping control, a standard CAF procedure often applied to players who complete the full match or deliver standout performances in major tournament fixtures.
With the win, the Super Eagles march into the AFCON semi-finals full of confidence, and Osayi-Samuel’s display will be remembered as one of the key individual performances that powered Nigeria into the last four.
