‘I Overreacted’ – Osayi-Samuel Reflects on AFCON Quarter-Final Incident

Super Eagles right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel has given a detailed account of the on-field clash between him and Algerian winger Anis Hadj Moussa during Nigeria’s 1XBET AFCON quarter-final victory over Algeria.

The heated incident occurred in the 68th minute of the encounter when Osayi-Samuel was shielding the ball near the touchline. As he tried to maintain possession, Hadj Moussa became aggressive and pushed him from behind, leading to a brief confrontation between both players.

Osayi-Samuel revealed after the match that the situation escalated because the Algerian attacker hit him in the face, which caused him to lose his temper.

“I was upset because he punched my face. He hit me, and I reacted immediately,” Osayi-Samuel said during his post-match interview.

The Birmingham City defender admitted that his reaction was unnecessary, especially considering Nigeria were already leading the game 2–0 at the time.

“In that moment, I should have stayed calm and ignored it because we were already winning. But I overreacted. That’s football, sometimes emotions take over,” he explained.

The confrontation forced Senegalese referee Issa Sy to intervene quickly to prevent the situation from getting worse. After calming both players, the referee showed a yellow card to Hadj Moussa.

Despite the brief tension, the Super Eagles remained focused and controlled the game until the final whistle.

Nigeria eventually secured a comfortable 2–0 victory over Algeria, booking their place in the next stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Osayi-Samuel’s performance was otherwise solid, as he played a key role in Nigeria’s defensive setup, helping the team shut out Algeria and continue their strong run in the tournament.