AFCON 2023 Golden Boot Race: Ademola Lookman Surges As Emilio Nsue Maintains Lead Ahead of Semis

• Emilio Nsue still leads the AFCON 2023 Golden Boot race with five goals in this event
• Equatorial Guinea’s exit has given other contenders the chance to claim the scoring title
• Ademola Lookman is closing in on Nsue's lead with three goals in the knockout stage

The AFCON 2023 Golden Boot race is heating up.

Equatorial Guinea crashed out in the Round of 16, meaning the tournament’s scoring leader won’t be able to add to his goal tally in the latter stages of the competition.

That opens the door for other contenders to claim the top prize in the end, including Nigeria's Ademola Lookman, who has been on fire in the knockout rounds.

AFCON 2023 Golden Boot leaders

1. Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea, 5 goals)

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Emilio Nsue holds a precarious one-goal lead at the top of the Golden Boot standings heading into the semi-final stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

All of his five goals came in the knockout stage, recording a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau and nabbing a brace against Ivory Coast.

2. Gelson Dala (Angola, 4 goals)

Gelson Dala's dream of winning the AFCON Golden Boot prize ended in the quarter-finals with Angola's loss to Nigeria.

He finished the tournament with four goals, one shy of Nsue's mark.

2. Mostafa Mohamed (Egypt, 4 goals)

Mostafa Mohamed's quest to win the AFCON Golden Boot award ended in the Round of 16 with Egypt's gut-wrenching loss to DR Congo in a penalty shootout.

He scored a total of four goals in the tournament, three of which came in the group stage.

4. Ademola Lookman (Nigeria, 3 goals)

Nigeria wouldn't be in the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations without the heroics of Ademola Lookman.

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He scored twice in the 2-0 win over Cameroon in the Round of 16 and netted the match-winner against Angola in the quarter-finals, per The Guardian.

He will look to close in on Nsue's tally in Wednesday's game against South Africa.

Other players with 3 goals

Five other players have scored three goals in this year's AFCON, but they all have no chance of winning the Golden Boot award, per the BBC.

The teams of Bertrand Traoré, Baghdad Bounedjah, Mohamed Bayo, Mabululu, and Lassine Sinayoko have all been eliminated from title contention.

Osimhen's Golden Boot dreams over with injury?

Sports Brief recently reported on Osimhen's injury concerns.

He suffered an abdominal injury and didn't travel with the Super Eagles to Bouake ahead of Wednesday's semis clash with South Africa.

Osimhen has found the back of the net just one time in this year's AFCON.