Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez scored a late winner from free-kick as Algeria reached her first AFCON final in 29 years with a 2-1 semifinal win against the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday, Completesports.com reports.
The Algerians were gifted a free-kick on the edge of the box, and as expectation tilted towards an extra time, Mahrez curled his kick beyond the reach of Daniel Akpeyi to end Super Eagles’ fourth AFCON title quest at Egypt 2019.
The Algerian pair of Belaili and Baghdad Bounedjah kept the Super Eagles defence line under constant pressure as the Foxes’ pace threatened Eagles rear time and again.
After an earlier howler, goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi came to Super Eagles’ rescue on 28 minutes when he saved Belaili’s close range strike after out pacing Kenneth Omeruo.
Two minutes later, the Super Eagles came close to taking the lead but Samuel Chukwueze’s free-kick from the edge of the Algerian box was properly dealt with by goalkeeper Raid M’Bolhi.
Six minutes before the halftime whistle, Jamilu Collins denied Bounedjah when he cleared into corner with the pacy forward set to strike on goal.
The box to box contest continued as Alex Iwobi set up Ighalo but his strike went wide.
Then, danger struck for Nigeria on 41 minutes when Algeria took the lead after William Troost-Ekong diverted Riyadh Mahrez’s cross into his own net.
But the Super Eagles raised their game in the second half and were back on level terms on 71 minutes when Ighalo scored from the penalty after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) confirmed an Algerian defender handled the ball inside the box.
It was Ighalo’s fourth goal in the tournament, but Mahrez struck the winner for Algeria on the dot of the four minutes added time for stoppages..
Algeria, will now face Senegal in the AFCON 2019 final on Saturday while Nigeria and Tunisia will play for the Bronze medal on Wednesday.
By Adeboye Amosu (photos: by Ganiyu Yusuf) in Cairo
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COMMENTS
good job boys @ super eagle…you lost to a better side..God bless d team …God bless Nigeria…pls ds shud be Akpeyi & co Last competition!!
the three keepers shud b flush out
Where are the ROHR SUPPORTERS?
I hope u guys saw my predictions yesterday
ALGERIA V. SENEGAL FINAL
NIGERIA V. TUNISIA PLAY OFF 3RD PLACE.
When football analyst speak the Lilliputians should listen and sit down.
I may not be a professional coach.
But I know am better than ROHR.
Only a blind bat would advocate for ROHR’S CONTINUITY.
A LAUGHABLE DISPLAY.
I told u guys even if they won the cup, which I thank God they didn’t, I will maintain my stand on this team and the coach.
A coach who cannot read a game and know who to substitute and when.
Simple tactics.
IF I WERE ROHR ON HALF TIME
-Remove Ekong bring in balogun.
(he is not confident, he causes pressure on the defence)/do u need a prophet to tell u something was psychologically wrong with him today
– Remove Musa bring in Simon
(He lacks leadership, idea, and his passes are to God’s know where and who.From the first game I said Musa need to sit on the bench, but you and your adamant and stubborn Rohr say he must play)
Leave Ighalo for a while though he is not in the match he could cause issues for defenders.
Bringing in Onyekuru was the best thing to have happened to usz but he removed the wrong person. Musa should have been substituted.
Final words.
I think this coach and the super eagles team has some touch not in the team.
The coach is stubborn and adamant and doesn’t take advice.
If he reads completesport and our comments he would know the cup ought to have been ours with the crop of players we have.
Musa, ighalo and a selected few seem to have a great deal with the coach and they cannot be touched.
Poor display from the team
Even with extra time they would still have beaten Niger.
You are happy Naija lost all because of a coach you do not like. Has that solved the problem? You were waiting for a slip to lay the first blame. You think you are wise or better than the coach? You can as well take over the job and let us see how you will fare? You think coaching is as easy as you think. Go on and pick up a coaching job.
It is easy to speak and castigate. You think if you were the coach, some persons will be happy with your style? There are those who will wish you fail and take pleasure in your failure. That’s life but life goes on …
We are here, we don’t run away like corwards. where have u been all this while we were winning. U’re just a big hypocrite. Up eagles, up rohr. We lost to a better side with our heads high.
Go and seat down you are nobody my friend @Iszy. You have won award for predicting our loss. A big applause to you. Am expecting you to apply for coaching job since you are that good
Thanx Algeria for beating the Super Flops.
But the same Super Eagles beat the Bafana and turned them to Banana. We enjoyed the banana flavor. It is football. We can win all the time. Even the best in the world sometimes lose. Enjoy the savoury taste.
… can’t win all the time …
Both teams played their best. This Nigeria vs Algeria is what pundits like to tag the finals before the final. Algeria will take the trophy. Believe me if it was Nigeria in the finals, Nigeria will carry it. Senegal have no chance on Sunday. My suggestion: Retain the coach. Retain the players. Super Eagles did not disgrace the nation. They are worthy ambassador of the country. The fought well but one team will win. Algeria vs Senegal. Algeria wins.
Senegal have the chance to win it too. Do not write them off.
Well done boys. You reached my semi final target for you. This is a country that was not at the last 2 editions of AFCON with 20 players out of 23-man squad who have no previous AFCON experience. My advice to NFF is simple: Retain the coach, ask him to invite a certain Maduka, a Nigerian Germany-based goalkeeper. The boy is 20 and is ready to represent his fatherland, his mother is a German. Then bring in Kelechi Nwakali to come and man the creative midfield position, he is the man. With this adjustment, Nigeria would be unstoppable by next AFCON. God bless Nigeria.
the team needs new strikers and iwobi needs help in attacking midfield role.
Hasn’t it finally revealed itself to those lowlife bastard siding rohr now,
OHHHH GOD WHAT A IRRITATING COACH, how on earth would you remove chukwueze the teams top performer and then leave Ahmed musa who couldn’t offer anything right from the minute the match started
If you watch closely the team was destroyed the moment chukwueze was removed,this same bastard called rohr is the idiot who always select that waste product called akpeyi as our first choice keeper when we have the quality ezenwa,that madman called akpeyi been such a waste product throughout the afcon but that foreign reject and madman of a coach keeps forcing him on us as our first choice keeper
May God punish that bastard, waste Product and foreign reject who calls himself rohr and could still punish those who are supporting him despite his obvious rubbish he is doing,well maybe some of dem their eye go open now
Make your point and need not call anyone such annoying names! That wouldn’t solve the problem.
U are such a useless barbarian. People like u are just occupying space here.
Great game tonight and we were out played by a better team with a sound technical input from a better coach. Gernot Rohr should be allowed to leave . He lacks the basic technicality required by modern day football. We don’t need a foreign coach anymore. 3yrs with the national team without starting 11, no goal keeper, no quality attacking midfielder, no potent striker. He has refused to learn from his mistakes of poor and late substitutions, wrong team selection and inability to switch from one plan to another when things are not going in his favor.
@omo9ja, am proud of you bcos you are true fan of our dear nation.
God bless all the members of the forum.
God bless Super Eagles.
God bless Nigeria.
Where are those mad rohr supporters make una come outside oo and as una dey come outside make una get answer to the question why rohr remove chukwueze the top performer of the match
Fool, chukwueze got tired and needed someone else like him to ads firepower to the attack. That change was tactical and spot on. Stop disgracing ursef and your generation here, biko. Ewu gambia
Fool, chukwueze got tired and needed someone else like him to add** firepower to the attack. That change was tactical and spot on. Stop disgracing ursef and your generation here, biko. Ewu gambia
Well, the better win,
I feel at a point in dying minutes, Mikel could have come in to stabilize the midfielder to go extra time.
(Coach error)
But why that free kick at that time on that point!
is just like a penalty, cos they have the specialist “M”
Our goalkeeper do not have confidence even shouting to our defender to allow the ball to roll away before the first goal, talk less of organizing and withstanding last free kick..
SE should cheer up, and go for the third position.
We no go Carry Last!
You win some, you lose some. Well done, boys. The dark green jersey jinx? Hmmm. Anyway, I do think we should change our goalkeeper coach. His standard for a good goalkeeper seems to be too average. Alloy Agu should make way please. A good goalkeeper coach will find us and groom a good goalkeeper.
Good point, Alloy Agu was not a good keeper during his time, I remember him very in the 90s.
Shorunmu/ rufai/ ikeme/ Enyeama any of these are welcome
Manu garba/ Siasia/ Amuneke/ Oliseh as assistants to to rohr
Thanks @Kel that’s exactly my thought. Rohr should not take all the blame Aloy Agu failed in selecting good goalkeepers. I actually said yesterday my fear is Akpeyi especially on set piece. It has come to pass. Search for good keepers starts now.
Now Look at the rohr supporters they are nowhere to be found not even one is present at the room they’ve discovered that they were blind and foolish like rohr ever since and that they’ve made a big fool of their self by siding rohr
Many of them their eye don open now
well please if you are still a rohr supporter and you are reading this then you have the balls to come out just remember to bring answer to the question I and Nigerian is saying right now why did rohr remove chukwueze the top performer of the match and leave musa the top flop
Foolish people,they will just get up from their slumber and come here to post rubbish siding rohr because they are blind and foolish like him not to see when something is wrong
I said it earlier only the wise ones knows rohr is not a coach but when I said it no one paid attention,
When I bomboy and oluwa keeps coming here to criticize that worm called rohr some idiots will just come out of nowhere and start challenging us,well now last last who’s now the wise one who said and keeps saying the truth between us and those blind rohr supporters
You are correct, every good coach must study each game to know whom to remove and whom not to remove know matter the profile of the players,that is were the coach got it wrong,if not for corruption a Nigerian coach will better.
When you have a coach who cannot read matches from the bench this is what you get. Wrong substitution. Rohr would have removed Musa instead of Chukweze and brought in Moses Simon or Onyekuru, removed Ekong and brought in Balogun and Osimen for Igalo immediately after scoring the penalty (until that penalty he had no impact in the game today). Yeah! He may be allowed to continue as some because people would say he is contending for golden boot but not at the detriment of our progress to finals. How many substitutes did Rohr make? Just one and very late and that is his trade mark. Was he keeping our substitutes on the bench for extra time and penalties shootouts when you have poor goalkeeping with Apeyi in between the sticks? That’s suicidal game plan. Before the start of this tournament sincere followers of supereagles knew our deficiencies. We didn’t have a coach but a gambler. We didn’t have goalkeepers even after three years of search what a floppy responsibility. For three years I have not seen a supereagle’s player developed by coach Rohr rather he is running after already made players in Europe begging them to play for Nigeria. (Especially those with dual citizenship) In a population of 200m people in Nigeria Rohr cannot tell me that in three years in charge of supereagles he can’t find a confident and reliable goalkeeper better than current stock. Should Rohr be our last foreign coach? I will say Yes Except nff can afford to high a foreign coach with a class like Pep, Zidane, Klopp if not that class don’t give us mediocres again as foreign coaches. Save the money and do with what we have locally.
could not edit for corrections : …Some because people would say… (some people)
..high foreign coach…. (hire foreign coach)
I expect Rohr to announce his resignation tonight even before third place match as a mark of respect to the sensibilities of Nigerian fans whose tax payer’s money and crude oil money nff used to pay him yet couldn’the deliver. Mikel can take over and finish it for us.
It is unheard of that a coach before the end of a tournament will resign. Give him breathing space. Let him see them through.
Coaches resign after a competition or ouster from it, not the other way round. Mellow!
Mr Rohr Using akpeyi the worst goalkeeper that has ever man the post for nigeria in history in which his continued errors and poorness in matches is obvious even to a blind man as our first choice keeper wasnnt enough instead you keeps starting the waste product as a keeper for us giving us heartbeat when we have the quality ezenwa,this wasn’t enough and you removed chukwueze the top performer of the night then leave musa a total flop in the last match same as to this match
HAIII!!! Mr rohr you worst shal
Not many goalkeepers can catch such freekicks taken by Mahrez. It was unfortunate it came so late. You seem to forget he saved a goal in that first half.
Nevertheless, we need reliable safe hands.
I said it yesterday that l had a revelation that Nigeria struggled to score a goal that will keep them in this competition but could not. They did not play attacking football which was their undoing instead they played deep and invited pressure on themselves. Only to wake up late. Poor tactics on part of the coach.
Mikel should have played this match,unfortuntely we don’t have a good coach, Ahmed musa would have been substituted, going forward, we need to drop all the keepers, sack our goal keeper trainers, sack rohr and a get a local coach that we watch our league, azubuike okechukwu would have been in this team, how do u go to a tournament with just 4 midfielders,one of them is not even good enough (ogu). Today we needed midfield substitution but there was none. Akpeyi shame to u, even where u covered, y ET they still scored u
coach rohr tried his best for the team.I have been against him out of ignorance. he has tried his best. I omo9ja advice that he should continue with the good work he has started.. ire o .God bless Nigeria
Who is this? This wasn’t me omo9ja oooo.
It is time CSN have to upgrade their website. This person should fear God.
The person knew that the coach have failed and he couldn’t say it openly. The person decided to use my username?
CSN over to you. This is really bad. God bless Nigeria!!!
Impersonation is a crime. That person should be arrested.
CSN needs to upgrade its comment box to avoid impersonation (if that was the case). Entering one’s username and email each time one comments is not good enough.
Please don’t use abusive language on anyone on this platform. The man you are calling bastard is old enough to be your father. And those you are calling idiot you don’t know who they are. Better call yourself to order. This platform is meant for constructive criticism and not to disrespect elders!
Good point there. I am from Cameroon and I like constructive arguements. Insults are the weapon of those who have nothing credible to say
Children Wey good parents raised but chose to be bad children .. Na wetin you wan make we tell them !
They will never learn !!
CSN should have a site rules and regulations…and better still, a word (inkey indicator)…you type in an abisive or offensive word, your comments will not passed the link and therefore will not be posted !!!
People that like to cause, abuse and wrongly criticize others are weak and evil !!!
If you are that good, why are you not there representing your fatherland !
If you know better, why not find a way to pass the knowledge across! What will insulting or abusing a national representatives bring to your bank account or to your feeding table ?!?
I suggested that CSN should make this site more personal identity with those interested in making comments have their passport and original name (with location) attached to their comment profile so that we go dey know who be who !!!
SE players, Coaching crew, staffs and even sports administrators log in here and read the news as well as view our respective comments…must you add more sorrows to a heartbroken player who just lost a match by further insulting him … Why not encourage and let him to dust himself up and brace up for the bronze medal (3rd place match) instead !!
This was one reason why that Soccer site KickOff was shutdown !
Maybe if this continue, CSN might remove the comment section so that you just come and read the news …and waka your way!!
Dear SE players and coaching crew lead by Gohr, you still have one more important match to play….go for the bronze !
Win it to keep the self-belief high, Win it to keep the build-up going !
God bless the good people of Nigeria !
It is well !!!
U are a goat and a beast prince or whatever you call yourself when we were telling those rohr supporters that rohr is not a coachthey were stubborn and they will always insult us and now you are saying I should not insult them for fooling their self all the while, I will insult them cause they are waste product like rohr for siding him
Algeria Beat Gallant Eagles 2-1. How? Algeria Beat Gallant Super Eagles kę?
We played badly to be honest with ourselves. What was Gallantly in what we were playing? Absolutely zero.
It is too late to complain. No excuses this time around. No game plan. What did you expect?
In one word, we need a change.
We can’t continue this way. God really tried for us. Our players tried their best but you can’t give what you don’t have.
For you to have a solid team, you must having free kick takers, solid defenders and wingers. Lucky took us to us to this level in this tournament.
With what coach Aloy Agu provided for us so far in the goalkeeping department, it’s time for him to leave and the entire coaching staff. Time up.
I love coach Rohr a lot but he can’t continue this way. He have tried his best. Kudos to him. This is the best time for him to leave.
The way he lost to Algeria today from start to finish shows that our entire coaching staffs most go. I didn’t feel the pain because I saw this coming long time ago and I have been warning Nigerians but some of us likes deceiving themselves.
This is the time for Amunike, Obuh, Kanu and Peter Rufai to build a solid team for Nigeria. We need a fearless team for the next world cup and Afcon.
Senegal as an example. Local coach is in charge of their team and their doing well but my fear is corruption.
Our own may love money than their reputations. For me, I will rather try the names I mentioned above than to give these current comments stuffs another chance.
What did they learn from world cup? If they have learnt some lessons in Russia, they could have rings changes in the goalkeeping department after the world cup and their tactics approaching wasn’t something to right home about.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost in the third place because the technical stuff are not competent enough and the team spirit is down.
I’m waiting for NFF. They have to do something quickly.
Super Eagles were playing with fear in the first half but why? No game plan in this match. Bad market. Too bad. God bless Nigeria!!!
In your first post up top “coach rohr tried his best for the team.I have been against him out of ignorance. he has tried his best. I omo9ja advice that he should continue with the good work he has started”
In another post “I love coach Rohr a lot but he can’t continue this way. He have tried his best. Kudos to him. This is the best time for him to leave“. How many omo9ja do we have in this forum?? Anyway no problem let them bring in Amuneke and John Obuh Nigeria will win the WorldCup with Amuneke and Obuh combo what a combo?
Ayphilly, that certainly wasn’t omo9ja in the first post apologising….
Can’t you see or read in between the lines that, someone is impersonating him in this forum.
CSN should expose dubious people here
I pay homage to the all seeing one called Emperor Omo9ja. It was just a matter of time for the clandestines to see things your way.
Ayphilly and Dr Drey. Now kneel before your master. Kiss his boots and declare the Guru of football analysis.
For so long, you laboured under the misconception of omo9ja being a mere mortal. Now you can see the pestilence manifest right before your eyes just as the wise one had predicted.
Rohr has failed and must be replaced.
As for you, lost sheep, come back to your master.
Bow down when he comes to your town.
Bow down when he westward bound.
Bow down because omo9ja is not a hater like you.
Bow down when you read from a pundit who is greater than you.
NIGERIA HAS BEEN BAETEN LARGELY AND SQUARELY BY SUPER ALGERIA
Thank You Segun Odegbami
When Big Seg spoke small boys who haven’t played the game here took him to the cleaners and insulted him I hope you have all eaten the humble pie now?
Patriotism is setting the bar high because you know what it means to be super eagles.
When you have played with Okala and Best Ogedemgbe. Player under father Tiko and mentored the golden generation led by Westerhoof you have earned the right to accurately predict what to expect and what should happen but people here insulted Segun Odegbami I hope you have now enjoyed your Rohr?
Ideally none of the 3 goalkeeper should be in this team and if any should be here it should be Uzoho.
Your coach doesn’t understand our super eagles and doesn’t know how to sub players. The moment he granted the interview and said some players were in the tournament I knew this guy was done
Musa was the worst player yesterday yet he was kept in the game. This was a match where you manage the game at 1-1 and you do that by bringing in Mikel to calm the boys down.
Rohr doesn’t understand the basics and we have seen that all through his tenure.
How can a coach not find a proper playmaker? What’s Osimeh doing in the team if ighalo cant be subbed?
Next time when Segun Odegbami speaks please listen to him.
I hope you now agree with him that you have no coach? Anyone that can keep Akpeyi and Ezenwa in this team for 3years doesn’t deserve this job.
God bless Segun Odegbami
Thank u destiny!
I love people who will speak the truth without fear or fervour.
That’s why I respect omo9ja.
I wonder where all the Rohr supporters had gone to.
Make una come out come talk.
Mtchewwwwwww.
Stephen Keshi is a national hero. He won at his first attempt, and that with a rag tag team.
Don’t tell me he didnt qualify in his his 2nd attempt. That will only be a valod argument if Rohr had won innhis first attwmpt.
Thank God he won’t be part of the future of the SE.
Dr. Drey! People are talking against your beloved coach! Please rise in his defence! And don’t forget your trade mark opening sentence of he he he he…
Hehehehehe….People who have not been able to talk in 3 years…LMAO.
For 3 solid years he confined y’all into your coven.
The last time I checked we will be playing our 7th match in this tournament on Wednesday…!
Can’t you get it into that thick skull of yours?
Rohr has failed.
Pack your bags and go home.
This party is over, you lost, Dr Drey.
Hehehehehe….you are the bigger looser bro. You’ve been loosing for 3 years LMAO.
Rohr has failed indeed…..we are still in Egypt preparing for our 7th game of the tournament…oh what a failure.
Rohr kept you mouths shut for a major part of the competition…hell yes you even went into hiding at a point in time. Lolz
You and your tin-god predicted disaster and doom before now, you never even game the team a chance to scale the 1st round….now we are preparing for our 7th match of the competition……who is the bigger looser now..? LMAO
Football is a game don’t take it personal. We stil love eagles
I just see people yelling ‘Rohr must go’ all over the place.
I would have expected them to suggest a better replacement who can produce results in a
– Pinnick vs Chris Giwa vs Dalung atmosphere 2014 to 2018
– no fixed home for the SE (today asaba, tomorrow Uyo, next week kaduna, the other month Port-harcourt)
– hurriedly organized local league ( 2019/20 season has no starting date yet, we dont know yet those who won promotion to the NPL, we dont know the team that will represent us in CAF conpetitions that will begin in a few weeks from now)
– Our best local leagues players cant even attract the likes of Esperance, Raja, Al-ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe or Sundowns.
– No organized technical department in the FA.
and above all earn $50k per month ($12.5k per week) and not complain. Lolz
Shebi una wan win WC….ngwanu make una begin suggest replacements na. Lolz
Hehehehehe… Dr, Drey is out in full force! I knew I could get you out of hiding….Hehehehehe
Out of hiding…? Cmon man. We know those who have been in hiding since this tournament began. We know those whom Rohr has denied a lot of happiness for the past 3 years….LMAO
You where in your coven praying for the SE to loose (as usual) last night while I was here posting updates late into the night.
The Days are here, No more hide and seek for our Super Eagles playing without a true Number 10 as midfielder. that’s the task were Rohr failed. our players tried but it was a matter of time before we run out of ideas that only a Solid midfield can offer and balance a team offensively. Next is the goal keeping role for a leader and organiser.
BOMBOY: Hello, coach Rohr
ROHR: Who is this?
BOMBOY: My name is Bomboy. I just wanted to…
ROHR (cuts in): Oh, Bomboy! That big mouthed guy in CSN forum? Did you call to taunt me? I know it is another Christmas day for all the haters in the forum. I know you prayed for the team to fail!
BOMBOY: Not so coach Rohr. You see…
RHOR: See what? May all the forgotten gods of France and Germany punish all my haters!
BOMBOY: Easy coach. I don’t use abusive words. I am too cultured for that. I state my opinion, and that is it, unlike all your fans in this forum.
ROHR: Remember I put you to shame by getting this far in the tournament.
BOMBOY: I would have prefered you win again and out us to shame. That would have been a win win situation for both parties: you get to rejoice for putting me to shame, and I get to rejoice that my dear SE won.
ROHR: Hehehehehe…. only my worshipers (oh, I meant fans) deserve to celebrate when I win.
BOMBOY: I didn’t call you to taunt you. I called to congratulate you. Believe me, I know you tried your best. However, I think we need a more ambitious coach. Our Football Federation also needs to step up in their….
RHOR: (interrupts) That is not my business! I hope they retain me because I need the job. However, I heard Lesotho needs a new coach and they have a young team and a humble FA! Don’t forget my credentials: Niger, Gabon, Bukinafaso…
BOMBOY: You seem to have lost your humility, coach Rohr. And by the way…
Click. Call terminated.
I believe this is a game and in games anything can happen. The game between Tunisia and Senegal witnessed an own goal with two missed penalties from both sides. However at the end one team lost and the other won. I believe our players tried according to the extent of the game plan they were exposed to. But I must state that we failed to beat Algeria for the following reasons:- firstly, we had nobody in the goal post as a goal keeper who could read the movement of the ball and save same. A better goalkeeper would have saved that kick. This was the same thing akpeyi did against Argentina in a friendly match before the world cup. Secondly, rohr is too conservative with his technical input like his substitutions and so on. An osimhen would have come in for ighalo regardless of the fact that we wanted him to be the highest goal scorer. We needed someone who was new to the Algerian defence just as the South Africans overlooked chukwueze and he punished them. In all, I think the entire team especially the technical crew never knew that some players would not live up to expectation as expected like Mikel,ogu,balogun etc. So it appeared they had to make do with what they had and it’s on that basis that I commend the regular starters. The way forward for this team is that I expect Mikel and maybe,ogu to give way after this tournament. We have to bring in kelechi nwakali and chidiebere nwakalia to help in the defensive and offensive midfield of the super eagles. These brothers were a delight to watch in the friendly match against athletico Madrid before the world cup. It appears they were born for the midfield and are both heroes in their u17 days. Akpeyi and the World Cup keeper(has forgotten his name) should step aside.we should look for new goalkeepers for team.
Its unbelievable that just because of one mistake, people keep disregarding Balogun’s quality. That’s where if I must say, Rohr got it wrong. Not taking anything from Omeruo, he showed lack of confidence n distributed it all over the defence yesterday. I dare anyone to go watch that match again n you will observe Omeruo was always afraid to carry the ball into attack n would always pass it to Ekong,as if to say “no be my hand d ball go go to opponents”.Even when Ekong was in tight situation, he passed to Ekong. The Algerians seemed to notice that n were always waiting for him to pass to Ekong so they could close him up. Balogun would have done better job but sad Rohr bowed to pressure n kept his most assured defender on d bench. Just seem someone got envious of this Ekong/Balogun pairing n selfishly did everything to destroy it. That pairing would have brought great stability that was evidently lacking to our defence. Balogun, forget the fact he wasn’t playing much for Brighton, that didn’t affect him in any way. He is avclass ahead of both Ekong n Omeruo. Ekong was in fact the better defender to Omeruo yesterday.
Good job super eagles, you guys are improving