Nigeria winger Moses Simon has emphasized the importance of team victory over individual accolades after being named the TotalEnergies Man of the Match in their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final triumph over Angola.
His assist for Ademola Lookman’s first-half winner sealed a 1-0 victory, sending the Super Eagles into the semi-finals.
Despite being awarded the best player of the match, Simon prioritized collective success.
“I’m very happy but the most important thing is that we won,” Simon told reporters in the post-match press conference. “You can be man of the match and your team loses the game.”
Simon went on to show support for teammate Victor Osimhen, backing him to rediscover his scoring touch, even though he has not been finding the net in recent matches.
“The atmosphere is good in the team. Osimhen is thinking about winning, not just scoring,” he said. “If he gets a chance to score he will take it, but he’s focused on the team victory first.”
Simon, 28, claimed his second Man of the Match award at this tournament after also earning the accolade against Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.
His assist for Lookman’s winner was a vital contribution as Nigeria advanced to the last four in their bid for a fourth African crown.
