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Following Super Eagles’ 2-1 defeat to Portugal in an international friendly in Leiria on Wednesday night. Completessports.com’s ADEBOYE AMOSU appraises the performance of the players.
Maduka Okoye 7/10
The Udinese goalkeeper conceded twice but made a couple of saves to help keep the scoreline respectable.
Christian Akpan 5/10
Struggled to make much impact on his maiden appearance for the Super Eagles. He would need to do more to become a regular in the team.
Semi Ajayi 7/10
Reliable as ever, the Hull City defender formed a solid partnership with Calvin Bassey at the heart of the Super Eagles’ defence.
Calvin Bassey 7/10
Bassey delivered a commanding performance in defence for the Super Eagles. In addition to his solid defensive work, he showcased his passing range with several line-breaking balls and ventured forward on occasion to aid the attack.
Bruno Onyemaechi 6/10
The left-back was booked in the first half but stayed on for the entire duration of the thrilling contest.
Wilfred Ndidi 6/10
The captain helped protected the defence, didn’t offer much going forward. The Beşiktaş star was replaced by Raphael Onyedika in the 62 minute.
Tochukwu Nnadi 6/10
He impressed with his energy and commitment in midfield, and Nnadi appears to have what it takes to secure a regular place in the team.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru 6/10
The midfielder set up Akor Adams for Nigeria’s only goal of the night.Frank Onyeka took his place in the 61st minute.
Read Also:Friendly: Ronaldo, Fernandes Feature As Portugal Edge Out Impressive Super Eagles
Alex Iwobi 6/10
Iwobi was less influential on his 100th apperance for the Super Eagles. He was in action for 89 minutes.
Moses Simon 5/10
He failed to make much impact in the game. The winger was replaced by Terem Moffi one minute after the hour mark.
Akor Adams 7/10
He took his goal well and proved a constant menace to Portugal’s defence before being replaced by Paul Onuachu
Substitutes
Abdullahi Bewene 5/10
Another solid performance from the Banik Ostrava man, who will certainly get more opportunities with the team in the future.
Zaidu Sanusi 4/10
The left-back was booked towards the end of the game for a reckless tackle.
Terem Moffi 3/10
The striker could not add to his recent goal tally for the Super Eagles and struggled to influence the game after his introduction.
Frank Onyeka 4/10
He replaced Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and helped bring stability to the Super Eagles’ midfield.
Raphael Onyedika 4/10
The Club Brugge midfielder replaced captain Wilfred Ndidi and was lively during his 28-minute spell on the pitch.
Paul Onuachu 3/10
The striker made little impact after replacing goalscorer Akor Adams with 11 minutes remaining.
Samuel Chukwueze 3/10
He didn’t offer much following his introduction towards the end of the game.
Emmanuel Fernandez 3/10
The Rangers centre-back was not afforded enough time to make a significant impact on the game.
Philip Otele
Not Rated
7 Comments
Portugal 2: Nigeria 1 – Retrospective Reflection_
There are times when you just have to stand up and applaud the eloquently executed individual mastery involved in the goals conceded by your own team. I have gone back to watch the match and couldn’t fault any individual Super Eagles player for the goals Portugal scored last night. Their buildup was impeccable, and the way each Portuguese striker created space for himself inside our 18-yard box to riffle past a despairing Okoye was poetry-in-motion, on each occasion.
The Super Eagles, in my humble opinion, played exceptionally well. Portugal are an “A” Listed team on paper and on the pitch, and their depth of quality and breadth of pristine technicality is undeniable. Yet our Super Eagles held their own to grind out a supremely respectable slim loss.
Right fullback Christian Akpan had a baptism of international football fire yesterday, yet he doused the flames with calmness when he lost the ball and his man and maturity when he had the ball. It was like being introduced to the WWF or boxing for the first time to face Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. Yet, when he was knocked down by immaturity,he would always dust himself up and punch back with tackles, interceptions and passes that mark him out well-suited for this sort of occasion. As well as his fellow rookie predecessors (Fredrick and Bewene) had performed on their first rodeos, I don’t think they had to do it facing Ronaldo and co.
And Ajayi, Bassey and Nnadi around him never complained one bit about Akpan. In fact, they all combined effortlessly to keep Portugal at bay in that part of the pitch. Bassey made me laugh delightfully, honestly. He is irrepressible and ubiquitous, showing up around the centre circle, rugby-tackling Fernandez to the ground, shooting from a corner kick, executing last-ditch tackles and using his physicality to great effect: he was bloody awesome and a joy to watch!
Ajayi would deny Ronaldo several times with timely interceptions and clearances, even as he combined beautifully with Okoye and others to circulate the ball, play it out from behind and frustrate Portugal. Okoye was colossal! You would think he had boxing gloves on, punching the ball with grace and brutality, particularly in the second half, when numerous missiles were brutally launched at him. He met the moment with his imposing presence and unyielding posture and parries. He surely kept the scoreline respectable!
Onyeamachi is the master of deception. He lulls you into this faint false sense of him being disarmingly harmless, yet he is a ruthlessly efficient operator. He seems to fly under the radar, but it is the faulty radar failed to identify him, as he is there, here, everywhere. He was calm on the ball, effective in his tackles and often timely in interceptions, always willing to take one for the team if needs be, as evidenced by his yellow card. Along with Iwobi, Simon and Ndidi, he forged a good productive partnership as they often passed the ball into dangerous Portuguese areas.
Ndidi himself was authoritative. Okay, his shots were poor and embarrassing, but when it comes to neat tackles, retrievals and interceptions, nobody does it better. I counted no less than 4 occasions where he single-handedly retrieved the ball from the Portuguese with effortless ease inside Nigeria’s 18-yard box: simply and utterly brilliant! He combined well with Iwobi, who (Iwobi) kept it straight, simple, and structured with the staple passes we have come to know him for over the years. I don’t think Iwobi will improve beyond this and, at least, he didn’t allow himself to be dispossessed needlessly as he fought tooth and nail to keep the ball and distribute it to Dele-Bashiru and others.
For me, Bashiru was slow to get into the match. For the first 30 minutes, the game seemed to pass him by as he struggled to gain the necessary foothold needed to stamp his authority. Passes, runs, and crosses were just not forthcoming from him before his pristine pass to Adams for the goal. He did try hard to rev up his engine, but the thrust needed to power his performance beyond the ordinary to memorable heights just failed to be generated. Yet, for effort, you have to give him his onions.
Beside him was Nnadi, that quintessential Nigerian midfielder we have seen over the decades. He channelled that inner Mutiu Adepoju/Peter Etebo spirit to produce a performance laced with grit, physicality and endeavour. You struggle to get the ball off him, and he is ever looking to do Portugal some harm with seemingly harmless but harmful passes and an effort from nowhere at goal that would hit the target – he is not a genius but a true revelation who embodies that workaholic spirit of the silent surreal-but-superb Nigerian midfielder.
Look, don’t be fooled, Adams is not the best option for that support-striker or striker role for the Super Eagles. But, don’t be fooled, he will always make the starting 11 for Chelle because he is a safe bet, a team player, a goal scorer, a perfect professional. His status and position in Chelle’s pecking order of strikers is unassailable, and he came up with the goods again yesterday with a well-taken goal worthy of a World Cup stage. Can you imagine the audacity of finding the middle of the Portuguese goalkeeper’s legs from a saveable angle? Pure genius, pure class! Adams, I genuflect in awe!
Moses Simon is himself: neat legovers from the flanks, decent cut-backs, nice runs, positive interactions with those around him. He was meant to dovetail between a support striker and a left winger role yesterday. As a support striker, he was utterly useless; let’s keep it real – timing, connection, anticipation were all wrong, he never looked threatening. When he drifted to the flank, now you are cooking on a kerosene stove! He looked at home there, there, his natural habitat.
To the subs, Bewene continued from where he left off, growing in confidence with his tackles and interceptions. Onyeka was uncharacteristically highly forward-thinking in his passes and runs, genuinely creating openings with passes, and Portugal needed a last-ditch sliding tackle to dislodge him from the ball deep inside their 18-yard box before he had time to pull the trigger; GROOVY!! Moffi and Onyedika helped the team to keep its structure and shape off the ball and contributed to high pressing.
There was time for Zaidu to make one careless pass, whilst Onuachu sort of gave the Portuguese something different to think about with his physicality, movements and passes. Chukwueze had a glorious opportunity to run at the goal later on, but he sort of hesitated and checked his run before being brought down for no foul.
All in all, it was a great experience. The Super Eagles were tight and compact and did enough to leave the match with their heads held high. They showed a depth of focus and professionalism in execution to ensure that it wasn’t a one-sided encounter. To the very end, Nigeria could have equalised had Chukwueze kept his cool or had he been awarded that free-kick (one such example to emphasise Nigeria being in the contest to the very end).
As for Otele, he wasn’t afforded enp minutes to rate his performance meaningfully.
Thank you DEO
Hey, Brother Christian Ministries, I throwaway salute o! Thanks for the appreciation! Dr Drey no fit handle you. 🙂 I am looking for trouble o! 🙂
Tired of people praise singing non-performers, I asked AI to analyse the performance of the Nigerian midfield:
The primary tactical shortcomings of the Nigerian midfield during the match are detailed below:
1. Inability to Restrict and Match Midfield Rotation
The biggest flaw in the Super Eagles’ setup was structural. Manager Éric Chelle set the team up to be compact, but the defensive screening fell apart against Portugal’s elite lateral and vertical movements.
Chasing Shadows: Wilfred Ndidi and young Tochukwu Nnadi were consistently pulled out of position by the seamless positional rotations between Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes.
The Half-Space Void: Because Nigeria’s double-pivot repeatedly stepped up too high to press, they failed to protect the defensive hole right in front of the centre-backs. Pedro Neto’s opening goal in the 22nd minute directly punished this space after a central overload.
2. Failure in Ball Retention and Technical Security
When Nigeria did win the ball back in deep positions, their midfield line could not cope with Portugal’s high-intensity counter-press.
High Turnover Rates: The pairing lacked the composure to string short, press-resistant passes together. Rather than stabilizing play, the midfield repeatedly panicked under pressure, leading to cheap giveaways in their own defensive third.
Recycling Outdated Profiles: The reliance on pure, destructive defensive midfielders like Ndidi (and later Frank Onyeka off the bench) severely choked Nigeria’s ball retention capabilities.
3. Severe Deficit in Creative Progression
While Fisayo Dele-Bashiru did remarkably well to provide a rare moment of brilliance—recording a sharp assist for Akor Adams’ equalising goal in the 36th minute—the midfield’s overall build-up play was completely stagnant.
No Direct Transmissions: The midfield could not reliably break lines or comfortably feed the ball directly to the feet of the forwards.
Isolation of Attackers: Because the midfield phase was bypass-heavy, Moses Simon and Akor Adams were entirely isolated for long stretches. The engine room lacked a true deep-lying playmaker capable of progressiveness, forcing the wingers to drop deep just to collect the ball.
4. Severe Second-Half Energy Drop and Bench Inadequacy
The starkest contrast between the two teams came after halftime, where the depth and quality of the respective midfields decided the match.
The Substitution Gap: At halftime, Roberto Martínez refreshed his midfield by introducing Rúben Neves and Bernardo Silva. Conversely, Éric Chelle responded in the 59th minute by swapping Dele-Bashiru and Ndidi for Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika.
Total Loss of Control: The structural change reduced Nigeria’s technical fluidity down to zero. Portugal completely suffocated the match in the second half, restricting Nigeria to 38% possession overall and eventually yielding Francisco Conceição’s 74th-minute match-winner.
AI Player Assessment:
Maduka Okoye (GK) — 7.5/10 The standout player for the Super Eagles. Despite conceding twice, he kept Nigeria in the game with five crucial saves against a rampant Portuguese attack. He was completely left unprotected by his midfield line for both goals.
Christian Akpan (RB) — 5.5/10 Had a difficult night trying to manage the threat of Pedro Neto. He received minimal defensive help from the right side of the midfield pivot, leaving him overloaded frequently before being hooked at the hour mark.
Semi Ajayi (CB) — 6.0/10 Made several vital clearances and blocks in the first half. However, because the midfield could not retain the ball, he was under non-stop pressure and was often forced out of the backline to confront Bruno Fernandes directly.
Calvin Bassey (CB) — 6.5/10 Used his physical dominance well to restrict Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring. His performance was highly commendable given that the midfield double-pivot consistently allowed Vitinha and João Neves to run directly at the central defence.
Bruno Onyemaechi (LB) — 5.0/10 Picked up an early yellow card in the 18th minute trying to halt a counter-attack. He struggled with his positioning because his winger rarely tracked back, and the midfield failed to shift over to provide lateral coverage.
Wilfred Ndidi (CM) — 4.5/10 A highly disappointing captain’s performance. As the primary anchor, he completely failed to shield the back four. His lack of press-resistance and technical security meant he turned over possession too easily in hazardous areas.
Tochukwu Nnadi (CM) — 5.0/10 Showed plenty of energy but lacked tactical discipline. The young midfielder frequently chased shadows, dragged out of position by the rapid rotational movements of Portugal’s fluid engine room.
Alex Iwobi (AM/W) — 5.5/10 Struggled heavily to exert any creative influence on the match. Because the defensive midfield could not reliably advance the ball, Iwobi was forced to drop so deep to retrieve it that he was completely anonymous in the final third.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (AM) — 6.5/10 The single spark of quality in an otherwise stagnant Nigerian midfield. He provided a brilliant assist for Akor Adams’ equaliser in the 36th minute. However, his work off the ball was poor, contributing to the team’s structural collapse.
Moses Simon (LW) — 5.0/10 Suffered from total tactical starvation. He worked hard to press from the front, but the severe progression deficit in midfield meant he spent the vast majority of his 60 minutes completely isolated on the flank.
Akor Adams (ST) — 7.0/10 Extremely clinical with the few scraps he was given. He took his 37th-minute equalising goal beautifully, showing excellent movement to punish a rare lapse in the Portuguese backline. He fought a lonely battle upfront.
Tristan, thank you for your entry above. Assuming you were referring to me as someone who “sang the praises of non-performers,” I think that feedback is a bit harsh. I described the match as I saw it based on my subjective perceptions. Obviously, these perceptions might differ from yours – totally understandable.
Now, when it comes to AI, I hope you realise that the replies you would get from it/him/her (whatever) is based entirely on how you frame your question to it. See, I took your question above and reversed it and asked Copilot AI to respond. See its entry below and how favourable it was to my perspective on how “brilliant” the Iwobi-Ndidi-Nnadi combo was against Portugal, proving that AI too is subjective:
Deo’s QUESTION to Copilot: Provide five brief primary tactical strengths of the Nigerian midfield during the match against Portugal with a snappy summary
### Five Tactical Strengths of Nigeria’s Midfield (Player-Linked)
1. **Compact Defensive Shield (Ndidi + Nnadi)**
Wilfred Ndidi anchored the base while Tochukwu Nnadi supported laterally, keeping the unit compact and protecting central zones. This structure helped hold Portugal to just **6 shots on target from 13 attempts**, despite heavy pressure.
2. **High-Efficiency Ball Winning (Ndidi + Nnadi)**
Ndidi led the ball-recovery effort with strong duels, while Nnadi complemented him with disciplined pressing and covering. Together, they powered a midfield that won **8 tackles at a 72.7% success rate**, showing controlled aggression.
3. **Effective Low-Possession Control (Iwobi + Ndidi)**
Alex Iwobi’s composure in possession combined with Ndidi’s simple recycling ensured Nigeria remained steady even with just **39% possession**, maintaining **86% pass accuracy** and avoiding costly turnovers.
4. **Transitional Threat Creation (Iwobi + Nnadi)**
Iwobi drove forward progression and final-third link play, while Nnadi provided balance and passing angles in transition. This partnership enabled Nigeria to create **4 chances and score from open play**, despite limited attacking phases.
5. **Adaptive Game Management (Iwobi + Ndidi + Nnadi)**
All three midfielders showed tactical intelligence, adjusting to Portugal’s tempo and maintaining structure. Their coordination kept Nigeria competitive and level at **1–1 for long spells** before the late winner.
***
**Snappy Summary**
**Ndidi provided the steel, Iwobi supplied the control, and Nnadi ensured the balance — together forming a compact, combative and intelligent midfield that turned a potential mismatch into a disciplined, hard-fought contest.**