Sevilla striker Akor Adams only made his Nigeria debut two months before this Africa Cup of Nations and is a relative unknown in this team of household names, but he’s quickly become a key player in this Super Eagles squad.
As they make a run on the continent’s top prize, advancing to the quarterfinals with a win against Mozambique on Monday, Adams — the only Nigeria starter never to have featured in an AFCON before — scored his first AFCON goal.
However, as has been the case throughout this tournament, Adams’ contribution to this Super Eagles side is about far more than goals, with the attacker contributing assists for both of Nigeria’s opening goals against Mozambique, having earlier impressed in group games against Tanzania and Tunisia.
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While coach Eric Chelle’s predecessors often struggled to consistently get the best out of Nigeria’s wealth of attacking talent, the introduction of 25-year-old Adams appears to be unlocking the attacking potential of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman at the AFCON, with the pair scoring six between them so far.
“Akor’s a very, very strong player,” Lookman told ESPN. “He brings different qualities to the other attackers. Obviously, his game understanding is there, he understands that sometimes he drops and sometimes he plays.
“He’s not just a number nine, but he pins [defenders back], holds the ball up, [there are] different elements to his game.
“As long as he continues to perform like that, he will continue growing and growing, and will get better and better.”
‘Thanks for the assists, bro!’ – Lookman to Adams, probably. Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP via Getty Images
To date at the Nations Cup, Adams has thrived as a foil for Osimhen, with his decoy running, tireless movement off the ball, and intelligent decision-making in advanced areas opening up another dimension to the Eagles frontline.
With Adams and Osimhen aligned up top, the Eagles have been able to contain and monopolise opposition defences, allowing the likes of Lookman to find greater space in which to operate in wide areas.
“[Akor’s] a player who brings a lot of movement on the pitch, he brings a lot,” Chelle told ESPN.
“He’s a player with many qualities, to play with others, to make them shine, and he has amazing physical capacity, it’s very impressive.
“I’m very happy with him, and with all of the players in the group,” he continued. “We’re crafting a group here, and it’s the group that makes the difference.”
The trio’s combination play was at the heart of a magnificent attacking display for the Super Eagles on Monday, with Adams setting up Lookman for the opener, before then diverting Lookman’s cross into the path of Osimhen to stab home and give Nigeria a two-goal lead.
The 25-year-old netted Nigeria’s fourth himself, firing powerfully into the roof of the Mozambique net after being played in by Lookman, who had himself scored Nigeria’s third.
“The goals we score come from collective moments,” Chelle continued. “It’s not one player who beats 10 players with a dribble and scores, these collective moves are what makes the team shine.
“I’m very happy with him, but it’s just one match, and we must focus on the next one.”
Sevilla forward Akor Adams’ pinpoint accuracy in passing has been key to Nigeria’s goals at this AFCON. Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Chelle called Adams up for his international debut in October, with the Benue State-born attacker scoring on his first appearance, as a substitute against Lesotho in October.
The Super Eagles have neighbours Mali – Chelle’s former employers – to thank for the addition of Adams to the squad, with the head coach revealing that it was during a scouting mission while in his post as Aigles boss that he first came across the ex-Lillestrom forward.
During the 2023-24 season at Montpellier, Adams shared a dressing room with Mali trio Boubakar Kouyate, Modibo Sagnan and Falaye Sacko, with Chelle catching sight of the forward’s capacities during a visit to watch his then-international charges.
“I’ve followed him for a while,” Chelle concluded, “when he was at Montpellier, there were Mali players there, so I followed him since then.
“I want to put credit on my team, we were very good in possession, we kept the ball all of the first half, we put pressure on our opponent and it’s because we put in all of the ingredients.”
Adams and co will now travel to Marrakesh ahead of a quarterfinal against Algeria on Saturday.
Already, Nigeria’s 12 goals has equalled the Super Eagles’ highest ever goal tally for a single Nations Cup tournament, and with Adams unlocking the attacking potential of two former African Footballer of the Year award winners in Osimhen and Lookman, Nigeria fans can keep dreaming of fourth continental crown in Morocco.
