BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Victor Osimhen may have shot blank in two matches against soft target, Guinea Bissau, he remains a leading scorer in the on-going qualifying series of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations which finals hold in 2024.
With 88 matches concluded out of the projected 144, there have been 209 goals, making an average of 2.38 per match.
Of the 209 goals, Nigeria’s Osimhen scored five to tie with Senegal’s Sadio Mane who scored the same number.
Four of Osimhen’s goals came in the 10-0 defeat of Sao Tome & Principe last June. The match is Nigeria’s heaviest win, eclipsing a 1959 10-1 defeat of Dahomey (now Benin Republic).
Osimhen’s fifth goal was the one he scored in the 2-1 defeat of Sierra Leone in Abuja.
AFCON qualifying scorers so far
5 goals
- Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
- Sadio Mané (Senegal)
4 goals
- Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso)
- Louis Mafouta (Central African Republic)
3 goals
- Jorginho (Guinea Bissau)
- Peter Shalulile (Namibia)
- Lyle Foster (South Africa)
- Youssef Msakni (Tunisia)
- Patson Daka (Zambia)
2 goals
- Gelson Dala (Angola)
- Cédric Bakambu
- Omar Marmoush (Egypt)
- Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
- Federico Bikoro (Equatorial Guinea)
- Sabelo Ndzinisa (Eswatini
- Osman Bukari (Ghana)
- Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
- Naby Keïta (Guinea)
- Zinho Gano (Guinea Bissau)
- Christian Kouamé (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Ibrahim Sangaré (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Gabadinho Mhango (Malawi)
- Mohamed Camara (Mali)
- El Bilal Touré (Mali)
- Aboubakar Kamara
- Youssef En-Nesyri (Morocco)
- Daniel Sosah (Niger)
- Terem Moffi (Nigeria)
- Moses Simon (Nigeria)
- Luís Leal (Sao Tome & Principe)
- Boulaye Dia (Senegal)
- Kodjo Laba (Togo)
- Haythem Jouini (Tunisia)
- Lameck Banda (Zambia)
1 goal
- Mohamed El Amine Amoura (Algeria)
- Youcef Belaïli (Algeria)
- Ramy Bensebaini (Algeria)
- Baghdad Bounedjah(Algeria)
- Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
- Aïssa Mandi (Algeria)
- Lucas João (Angola)
- M’Bala Nzola (Angola)
- Jodel Dossou (Benin)
- Steve Mounié (Benin)
- Junior Olaitan (Benin)
- Mbatshi Elias (Botswana)
- Kabelo Seakanyeng (Botswana)
- Stephane Aziz Ki (Burkina Faso)
- Hassane Bandé (Burkina Faso)
- Abdoul Tapsoba (Burkina Faso)
- Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana (Burundi)
- Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon)
- Olivier Kemen (Cameroon)
- Karl Toko Ekambin (Cameroon)
- Ryan Mendes (Cape Verde)
- Jamiro Monteiro (Cape Verde)
- Júlio Tavares (Cape Verde)
- Karl Namnganda (Central African Republic)
- Isaac Ngoma (Central African Republic)
- Samuel Nlend (Central African Republic)
- El Fardou Ben Nabouhane (Comoros)
- Ibroihim Djoudja (Comoros)
- Youssouf M’Changama (Comoros)
- Benjaloud Youssouf (Comoros)
- Thievy Bifouma (Comoros)
- Gabriel Charpentier (Comoros)
- Antoine Makoumbou (Comoros)
- Jonathan Bolingi (DR Congo)
- Gaël Kakuta (DR Congo)
- Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo)
- Tarek Hamed (Egypt)
- Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt)
- Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Egypt)
- Saúl Coco (Equatorial Guinea)
- Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)
- Iban Salvador (Equatorial Guinea)
- Siboniso Ngwenya (Eswatini)
- Shimelis Bekele (Ethiopia)
- Dawa Hotessa (Ethiopia)
- Kitika Jemma (Ethiopia)
- Kenean Markneh (Ethiopia)
- Abubeker Nassir (Ethiopia)
- Shavy Babicka (Gabon)
- Lloyd Palun (Gabon)
- Omar Colley (Gambia)
- Abdoulie Jallow (Gambia)
- Felix Afena-Gyan (Ghana)
- Antoine Semenyo (Ghana)
- Mohamed Bayo (Guinea)
- Morgan Guilavogui (Guinea)
- François Kamano (Guinea)
- Ilaix Moriba (Guinea)
- Mama Baldé (Guinea Bissau)
- Zidane Banjaqui (Guinea Bissau)
- Alfa Semedo (Guinea Bissau)
- Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Sébastien Haller (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Franck Kessié (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Jean-Philippe Krasso (Cote d’Ivoire)
- Tshwarelo Bereng (Lesotho)
- William Jebor (Liberia)
- Mohammed Sangare (Liberia)
- Tonia Tisdell (Liberia)
- Saleh Al Taher (Libya)
- Njiva Rakotoharimalala (Madagascar)
- Kalifa Coulibaly (Mali)
- Aliou Dieng (Mali)
- Kamory Doumbia (Mali)
- Sékou Koïta (Mali)
- Adama Malouda Traoré (Mali)
- Aly Abeid (Mauritania)
- Abdallahi Mahmoud (Mauritania)
- Mouhamed Soueid (Mauritania)
- Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco)
- Fayçal Fajr (Morocco)
- Geny Catamo (Mozambique)
- Stanley Ratifo Mozambique)
- Gildo Vilanculos Mozambique)
- Absalom Iimbondi (Namibia)
- Amadou Sabo (Niger)
- Emmanuel Dennis (Nigeria)
- Peter Etebo (Nigeria)
- Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
- Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
- Thierry Manzi (Rwanda)
- Gilbert Mugisha (Rwanda)
- Blaise Nishimwe (Rwanda)
- Eba Viegas (Sao Tome & Principe)
- Boulaye Dia (Senegal)
- Habib Diallo (Senegal)
- Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
- Youssouf Sabaly (Senegal)
- Mustapha Bundu (Sierra Leone)
- Musa Noah Kamara (Sierra Leone)
- Augustus Kargbo (Sierra Leone)
- Abu Komeh (Sierra Leone)
- Alhassan Koroma (Sierra Leone)
- Jonathan Morsay (Sierra Leone)
- Abubakarr Samura (Sierra Leone)
- Zakhele Lepasa (South Africa)
- Mihlali Mayambela (South Africa)
- Chol Daniel (South Sudan)
- Tito Okello (South Sudan)
- Mohamed Abdelrahman (Sudan)
- Waleed Al-Shoala (Sudan)
- Muhamed Kome (Sudan)
- George Mpole (Tanzania)
- Saimon Msuva (Tanzania)
- Euloge Placca (Togo)
- Seifeddine Jaziri (Tunisia)
- Ali Maâloul(Tunisia)
- Naïm Sliti (Tunisia)
- Milton Karisa (Uganda)
- Rogers Mato (Uganda)
- Kings Kangwa (Zambia)
- Enock Mwepu (Zambia)
- Fashion Sakala (Zambia)
1 own goal
- Lebogang Ditsele (Botswana) (against Equatorial Guinea)
- Mohammed Al Tuhami (Libya) (against Equatorial Guinea)
- Kiki Kouyaté (Mali) (against South Sudan)
