South Africa striker Zakhele Lepasa has named Nigeria as the standout team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, insisting that the three other remaining teams in the tournament don't have the firepower to contain Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.

Lepasa admitted that Nigeria arrived at the tournament under pressure following their failure to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, a disappointment that many South African fans enjoyed due to the fierce rivalry between the two nations.

Nigeria booked their place in the Afcon semifinals with a commanding 2-0 victory over Algeria, with Victor Osimhen starring by scoring once and providing an assist to set up a mouth-watering clash with hosts Morocco.

"Nigeria are under pressure because they didn't qualify for the World Cup, which most of us were happy about because they are our arch-enemies," Lepasa said on SABC News. 

"They want to prove a point that they are still the best even if they didn’t qualify.

"At the moment, they are actually the best team in the Afcon. They've scored fourteen goals and have players like Osimhen and Lookman taking centre stage."

When asked whether Morocco could go on to win the tournament, Lepasa acknowledged the Atlas Lions' strong performances so far, but questioned whether they have truly been tested against a top team. 

"Yes, they can win it, but my question is: have they actually been challenged? If you look at their recent games, only the match against Cameroon was really 50–50.

"They are at home and have been doing well, but they’ve also had a few VAR decisions go their way.

"When they have to face Nigeria, my question is: who is going to stop Lookman and Osimhen if you check their defence?"

The Atlas Lions have tallied nine goals, with Brahim Díaz accounting for five of them, highlighting their heavy reliance on the Real Madrid forward.

"If you rely on one player compared to Nigeria, that’s the difference. 

"Nigeria have Osimhen on four goals, Lookman on three, and other players chipping in as well. I don’t see them getting past Nigeria that easily."

Ifeanyi Emmanuel