It was the 22nd encounter between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Desert Foxes of Algeria.
Though the Super Eagles weren’t able to find the back of the net in the friendly match at the Jacques Lemans Arena, they put up an impressive show against the African Champions.
Oladipupo Mojeed takes a close look at the game and gives his opinion on the players’ performances.
Super Eagles Defence
Maduka Okoye (7/10)
Okoye fared pretty well between the sticks against the Desert Foxes. Despite being beaten just 6 minutes into the game, there was no dip in confidence and performance as he pulled some impressive saves to keep his team in the game.
Tyronne Ebuehi (6/10)
Apart from the effort he had just about the hour mark, he offered very little as a full-back. He also struggled to keep up with the pace and trickery of Algerian winger Said Benrahma. However he did manage to keep him quiet for most of the game.
Leon Balogun (6.5/10)
Balogun had a decent performance. He occasionally lived up to his nickname “Oyibo Wall” (Oyibo is a term for light-skinned foreigners and in this case refers to his pairing with Troost Ekong in defence), and progressed the ball with some diving runs.
William Troost Ekong (7/10)
Team Captain, William was quite solid throughout the game, dealing well with the Algerian attack, intercepting dangerous deliveries, and clearing away balls from time to time.
He also made a last-ditch performance in the second half preventing the Algerians from extending their lead. It was a near perfect performance, save for the booking that resulted in a yellow card.
Zaidu Sanusi (6/10)
Sanusi had a very good performance in the first half. He provided further width and attacking danger which was lacking on the other side of the pitch.
His big moment came in the first half when he created a chance for Paul Ohuanu. Unfortunately, that amazing cross wasn’t converted.
Zaidu’s defensive performance wasn’t inhibited by his attacking contributions. He kept Algerian captain, Riyad Mahrez at bay for the duration of the game.
Despite the drop in performance in the second half, it was still a fantastic debut from the FC Porto left-back.
Super Eagles Midfield
Semi Ajayi (5.5/10)
Ajayi played out of position as he was deployed as a defensive midfielder. He found it difficult to thrive in the position and failed to make his mark on the game.
He however managed to show his defensive qualities in winning some aerial duels.
Frank Onyeka (5/10)
It was a tough debut for the FC Midtjylland midfielder as he failed to make his mark on the game.
He sometimes made some progressive runs in the midfield. He was taken off at the half time for Mikel Agu.
Alex Iwobi (5.5/10)
Iwobi was one of Nigeria’s best performers in the first half linking up play impressively.
He had a shot from distance in the first half that went just wide. His performance in the second half was nowhere near that of the first 45 minutes and surprisingly played 85 minutes of the game before being taken off.
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Super Eagles Attack
Samuel Chukwueze (6/10)
The Villareal winger posed problems for the Algerians in the first half with his pace, trickery, and direct running.
He didn’t put up the same level of performance wasn’t sustained in the second half before he was taken off on the hour mark.
Samuel Kalu (6/10)
It was quite an unfortunate evening as Kalu sustained an injury in the game. In his time on the pitch, he had a very good understanding with Sanusi and combined very well with him. However he posed little attacking threat as his 2 shots didn’t give the Algerian keeper much of a problem.
Paul Onuachu (5/10)
In his defence, the centre forward lived on scraps of chances as he put on an average performance.
He failed to convert the chances he did get and was frustratingly caught offside a few times. Even so, he kept the centre backs busy with his runs and his never-ending attacking intent.
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Substitutes
Mikel Agu (5/10)
He didn’t offer much of an improvement as he replaced Frank Onyeka in the second half. He was clumsy in possession and seemed off pace defensively.
Moses Simon (5.5/10)
He showed intent and brought in fresh energy as he replaced Samuel Kalu in the second half. However he failed to offer much attacking threat.
Kelechi Iheanacho (4/10)
The Leicester City forward didn’t offer much in attack as he came on as a substitute for Paul Onuachu.
Kevin Akpoguma (5/10)
The Hoffenheim wide defender replaced Ebuehi with about 20 minutes to play for his maiden cap. He had little influence on proceedings as Nigeria chased the equalizer.
Ahmed Musa and Samson Tijani didn’t spend enough time on the pitch to get an impression on their performance.
