AFCON 2025
LASK forward Moses Usor has revealed the advice Moses Simon gave him on the touchline moments before he came on to score the winner on his Super Eagles debut.
Usor, 24, entered the game against Madagascar in Uyo on Friday with Nigeria trailing. He replaced Akor Adams, while Simon came on for Samuel Chukwueze at the same moment. Nigeria went on to win 2-1 in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The two Moseses warmed up side by side, and Usor says Simon used that time to settle his nerves. “Just play your game and be yourself,” Simon told him, according to Usor’s account to Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe. Simon then gave a more specific instruction. If Usor got the ball and saw a chance to take on his man, he should go for it.
Usor followed that instruction. He scored the decisive goal in the 65th minute, just 14 minutes after coming on, with a brilliant individual effort. That made him the fastest Nigerian to score as a substitute on a competitive debut, breaking a record held by Akor Adams.
“I took that mentality and went there to play my game,” Usor said. He also described the night as a dream, especially with his family in the stands. After the goal, he dropped to his knees to pray.
The occasion carried extra meaning for Simon, who earned his 100th cap for Nigeria, becoming only the fifth Nigerian to reach that milestone. Usor said he hopes to follow Simon’s example of consistency and humility. Sharing the name and the night with him, he added, made the debut even more special.
Usor is not letting the moment go to his head. “One goal doesn’t make a career,” he said, promising to give everything for the Super Eagles. Nigeria face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday in their second Group L qualifier, and Usor will hope his debut heroics earn him a place in the starting line-up.
