The Super Eagles were denied a win as a late strike from Saudi Arabia ended Friday’s international friendly in a 2-2 draw, Completesports.com reports.
The game saw Victor Boniface make his first start for the Super Eagles.
Prior to Friday’s game against the Super Eagles, Saudi Arabia had lost their last six games.
This is the second time both teams would settle for a draw.
With seconds remaining in the nine minutes of added time, Saudi profited from a freekick to draw level.
Up next for the Super Eagles is another friendly game against Mozambique on Monday, 16 October.
In the 6th minute Alex Iwobi tried a volley on the edge of the box but his goal-bound shot was blocked for a corner.
The Eagles went close on 10 minutes, as Boniface outmuscled his marker, broke on the left but his dangerous aimed at Victor Osimhen was palmed away by the Saudi keeper.
Osimhen almost opened the scoring on 17 minutes but could not direct Bruno Onyemaechi’s low cross from the left.
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Saudi Arabia had their keeper to thank as his good save on 19 minutes denied Boniface the opener.
The Super Eagles continued to create chances and were almost rewarded with 15 minutes left in the first half after Onyemaechi’s cross found Chukwueze, but the AC Milan forward’s curler went just wide.
Saudi Arabia had their first effort on goal in the 36th minute but Francis Uzoho made a good save.
In the 43rd minute Osimhen saw his attempt scrape the cross bar while Ademola Lookman saw his strike go just wide after a fine through pass from Chukwueze.
Five minutes into the second half Iwobi made a timely block off a dangerous cross for a corner to Saudi Arabia.
The Eagles were forced into an early substitution on 55 minutes as Osimhen went off with a knock and was replaced by Terem Moffi.
Saudi Arabia took the lead on 60 minutes through Salman Al Faraj as Uzoho palmed a swung in freekick into the back of the net.
Few minutes later Saudi went close again but Calvin Bassey made a very vital block.
In the 68th minute Boniface tried a shot just outside the box only to see his effort go over the bar.
The Eagles equalised on 72 minutes as Abdulelah Al Amri slotted Moses Simon’s cross into his own net.
Iheanacho made it 2-1 in the 81st minute as he curled into the back of the net after the Saudis failed to clear their lines.
Umar Sadiq should have added the third on 85 minutes but failed to connect with Iheanacho’s cross.
In the 89th minute Iheanacho hit a good strike which the keeper punched away.
But in the 99th minute Mohamed Kanno saw his well taken freekick take a slight deflection and ended in the back of the net.
By James Agberebi
14 Comments
This might come across as harsh but Tyrone Ebuehi, Sadiq Umar and Joe Aribo do not belong on this team. And it’s time to either stop inviting Samuel Chukwueke to the national team or invite him and sit his buttocks down the entire duration of a match.
As for our wretched goalkeeping situation, the less said about it, the better.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Some players cannot fit in and I keep saying the cabal in the National team or NFF must be dislodged if not the Eagles can never win anything.
Nigeria will never and can never win anything with Pajero…ooops PASEIRO!
No decent national team or clubsides plays 442; not even the Portugal where he hails from.
He will be another ROBERTO MARTINEZ and GARETH SOUTHGATE… Coaches good at wasting GENERATIONAL TALENTS!!!!
What happened to playing DELE BASIRU as a CM to line up beside NDIDI with IWOBI further up? Or alternatively, play IWOBI beside NDIDI as a Deep lying PIRLO/ POGBA with DELE BASIRU further up as the AM??
Biggest flops of the game: Samuel Chukweze, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Francis Uzoho.
The best player is Senior man Kel. Just my opinion.
We told them not to give Peseiro a contract… dude knows no other formation other than 4-4-2. No dominant modern day national team plays that weak formation that cant dominate games. Isnt it shameful we cant even best Saudi Arabia? Uzoho, Chukwueze, Ademola and Aribo needs to stop being taken seriously… we need consistent players.
MVPs from distance:
Chukwueze – he played like a primary school kid
Uzoho – how is it possible to fetch water using basket?
Lookman – falling like the recent Stamford Bridge
Osimhen – Bros wetin you eat today na?
This team can’t go far
CSN, how far? The website don knock engine. Make unu shake body fix am quick quick.
CSN, it seems you added a new chat/comment plugin, please delete it on your WP dashboard. Things will normalize. The site is spoofed. Alternatively, contact your web host asap to have it fixed.
Alternatively use Disqus comment system. It’s safer and used my too sites. All these Indian & Pakistani IT guys will just crash your site with phishing link comnents.
Where are all the commentary by fans gone to? Kindly restore the full narratives that goes with the Headlines. It has been a kill-joy experience for your readers in the few days.
In all fairness, I wouldn’t put all blames in pessero. Though there is a question mark on his rigid insistence on playing 442 all the time.
Well I believe everyone will not blame him at the beginning for the formattion he lined up from the start. He also made the first three substitutions which to me are good.
But the question is: will pessero come to the field to score cheap goals for these players. I believe if we have scored 5 goals today nobody will be complaining. We lost very clear goals in the first half.
Also will pessero help uzoho to parry a straight ball away? Well we can give him the stick for playing him. But what do we want him to do when we have virtually no good option left. Adeleye came late to camp. Okoye is not better than uzoho. They are just the same. Only option is our local league. If I am pessero the end of uzoho has come in the national team. Period. He cost us the world cup.
The search for a keeper should start immediately. For now, adeleye and a goid hine based keeper is what what we have except we have an active foreign based keeper.
I faulted him for using chukwueze from the start. That boy will end his career soon. Ac Milan move will expose him as the national team is exposing him. He needs help very quickly. A top talent but he is not improving at all. Bad player all the time. Too selfish.
I think this ademola project is not working for us o. He always play as if he is pregnant. Don’t start him again. He does not deserve to be starting. Let Simon start. It’s bsad that orban is having a bad time presently. We could push him to that role and see what he can do.
Umar sodiq and moffi are other liabilities. Well I can’t blame pessero because he did not invite them in the first place. With awoniyi and dressers we have better options.
Ebuehi you are not good enough. You are gone for good. I believe pessero started him to see what he could do. This is good. But he failed again. So right back is fixed, aina and osayi.
Did anybody see how this left back is comporting himself. Sanusi is the only one ahead of him
I love bassey today. Played well from the back. I hope he can sustain that.
Ndidi was fantastic. Iwobi average. Oshimen not too good but was not bad. Chukwueze was a bad player with him. Oshimen should be angry with that guy. He failed to put him through on one occasion.
We have gem in Boniface. Thank God for giving us Boniface. Moffi and sodiq should kearn from him. Great players don’t need many matches to show their stuff.
It’s bad that we couldn’t beat Saudi. But this is friendly match. Look at your mistakes correct them and move on. It’s wrong to condemn them outrightly.
Let’s see Mozambique.
Adeleye
Osayi
That left back I forgot his name
Ndidi
Ajayi
Bassey
Kelechi
Boniface
Oshimen if he is fit
Iwobi
Simon
Brilliant comment but you ended it by doing a PASEIRO…… bro, no decent National Team anywhere plays a 442!
He must ditch one of OSIMHEN and Boniface and play another CENTRAL Midfielder. That’s the way to go
*Bruno Onyemaechi