Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen was conspicuously missing when Super Eagles gaffer Eric Chelle announced his squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

The 27-year-old will once again not be available for national duty, an unpleasant sight which has become all too familiar for Nigerian football lovers.

Osimhen suffered a muscle strain during Galatasaray's 3-2 win over Istanbul Başakşehir on September 4 and was forced off in the 33rd minute, after scoring the opener.

The Nigerian international has since missed Galatasaray's Champions League defeat to Sporting, a win over Kocaelispor, and a disappointing 4-0 loss to Trabzonspor last weekend.

Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been called up to the Super Eagles to replace the injured Osimhen. This was the 29-year-old's first invitation to the team since October 2024.

In this piece, MyNigeria Sports looks at how the Super Eagles have fared in recent competitive matches without Victor Osimhen's involvement.

Nigeria failed to win any of their first four matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers without Victor Osimhen, scoring just once in each game — a stretch that included a 1-1 home draw with Lesotho, a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe, and a 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in Abidjan on matchday 4.

Nigeria's first win of the qualifiers came in matchday 5, a 2-0 away win over Rwanda, with Osimhen scoring both goals for Eric Chelle's side.

Across the whole 10-game World Cup qualifiers campaign, Nigeria failed to win just one match in which Osimhen played more than 45 minutes. The only exception was a 1-1 home draw with Zimbabwe, where he scored in the 74th minute but the Warriors equalized in the 90th minute.

The former Napoli striker later scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Benin in Nigeria's final group match, but Nigeria still missed automatic qualification after South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 the same night.

In summary, in every qualifying match Osimhen missed, Nigeria failed to win a single one — a run that directly contributed to the Super Eagles missing the 2026 World Cup.

These statistics show clearly that the Super Eagles struggle immensely without Victor Osimhen in action for the team. This should be a wake-up call for Eric Chelle and his technical team as they begin their 2027 AFCON qualifiers campaign against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in this September international break.

WDN