Completsports.com’s ADEBOYE AMOSU appraises the performance of Super Eagles players following their 1-1 friendly draw with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.
MADUKA OKOYE 7/10
Virtually on holiday for the better part of the game. Produced a fine save to deny Mohamed Drajer late on.
KEVIN AKPOGUMA 6/10
Started the game at right-back before moving into central defence. Unlucky not to score on his full debut with his goal-bound effort cleared off the line in the first half.
LEON BALOGUN 8/10
Another impressive performance from the Rangers man. Was unarguably Super Eagles’ best performer in this international window.
KENNETH OMERUO 7/10
Put up a good performance and led the defence well following Leon Balogun’s substitution.
ZAIDU SANUSI 6/10
The left-back performed his defensive task well and made forays upfront. He was replaced in the second half by Jamilu Collins after picking up a knock.
SEMI AJAYI 6/10
Ajayi harried the Tunisians and disrupted their play, especially in the first half. An improved performance from the versatile defender compared to his lacklustre display against Algeria last Friday.
ALEX IWOBI 7/10
A lively display from the 24-year-old even though he fizzled out a bit after the break.
Also Read: Iheanacho On Target As Super Eagles, Tunisia Draw In Friendly
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE 6/10
Guilty of holding on to the ball for too long at times. Didn’t really make much impact in the game.
MOSES SIMON 6/10
Linked up well with Kelechi Iheanacho in the first half, but like some of his colleagues, failed to build on that performance after the break.
KELECHI IHEANACHO 7/10
Iheanacho scored a superb goal but fluffed another opportunity from the spot. A good performance from the Leicester City man.
AHMED MUSA 7/10
Teed up Kelechi Iheanacho for Super Eagles only goal of the game and also won the penalty that was missed by his strike partner.
SUBSTITUTES
CHIDOZIE AWAZIEM 4/10
Took the place of Leon Balogun in the 59th minute. Conceded two many fouls and was lucky to escape a booking.
JAMILU COLLINS 4/10
Did well in stopping the Tunisians after replacing Zaidu Sanusi even though he didn’t help the attack much.
CYRIEL DESSERS 4/10
Played his first game for the Super Eagles and almost registered a goal but his effort was cleared off the line.
CHIDERA EJUKE 4/10
Showed his dribbling skills following his introduction for Samuel Chukwueze in the 77th minute. A lively display from the winger.
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COMMENTS
Chidera Ejuke 4/10? Cyriel Dessers 4/10? Kenneth Omeruo 7/10? Semi Ajayi 6/10? LOL. This same match or another that was played yesterday?
Ejuke needs more minutes on the field. He’s real quality. Dessers has potentials and will really do well with wingers or CF partners that click well.
I still prefer an Ebuehi-Akpoguma-Balogun-Sanusi backline, with Ola Aina and Ajayi subbing on later. Ajayi is purely a defender. He breaks up opponents’ plays, but also oftentimes his team too. Transition often interrupts with him cos he’s not fluid going forward like an Ndidi or Etebo would. He can’t hold up play to allow wingers and CFs get into position. He loses it as soon as it gets to him.
Simon Moses. Hmmm… Guy seems to have lost his mojo upfront. The difference between him and Ejuke when trying to cut into the opponents’ 18 yard is as clear as day. But he looks like he’s a beloved of Rohr cos I don’t understand why he should stay on the field for 90 minutes.
Overall, a much improved play by the SE. Surely, Rohr must have picked up good notes and known his strongest 11 and bench – with new regulars like Sanusi, Okoye, Ebuehi, Ejuke, Dessers and maybe Onyeka.
Something tells me we might swap places with Algeria in the next FIFA ranking.
sack rohr….no creativity in d midfield.lols na iwobi shoulder una put all d play making responsibilities on. we need a James Rodriguez kind of playmaker. u can’t play an Ajayi and an iwobi in d middle of d park and expect to score 1-3 goals. no flair at all. no long and accurate passes from d middle. folks,we still v a long way to go
any dream of going to Qatar should be put to bed now. lots of work has to be done. I don’t believe in this coach.
Bros name d James like midfielder wey we get? u can’t give out what u don’t have let’s not be quick to conderm Rohr,what about yobo during DStv football analysis he will give you a near perfect reading of the match what happened now has he suddenly lost his mojo?other leagues r on but ours is not even when the start they keep recycling old legs from club to club no functionig under 21 league how do u integrate young players to d premier clubs,now some of our players are English born and the England fa out of wickedness make things difficult for us to get these players and you don’t blame them cos they spent tax payers money to groom this guy’s why your own people are busy looting n enriching themselves,do u want Rohr to manufacture players if you don’t know that Nigeria at d moment is a failed state know it now leave Rohr alone
Thank you for this thoughtful comment.
We can’t compare Nigeria with countries that have good and well functioning league. Nigeria division 1 league is not up to the least division of any country in Europe. The coach is managing the rejects of European countries.
We can go anywhere,as long as Gernot Rohr remains our coach. Sack Rohr and save our national team.Our national team is a prestige to us.
Was your national team going anywhere before he was hired in the 1st place….? LMAO
Imagine o.
Omeruo 7/10…chukwueze 6/10….LMAO
Trash rating,Sammy is now a shadow of himself no improvement,omeruo age is no longer on his side,omeruo of 2013 is no longer d omeruo of 2020 7 yrs no be beans,judging by our niaja things he is in his early 40,Chelsea FC knows that he has passed his prime that’s y d cashed on him I don’t hate him but am just been honest
It’s crystal now that our sudden change of fortune is all about aribo,but d match is ok at least Rohr has discovered 4 new players to add to d existing 12 + 4= 16 still 7 slots remaining
Ejuke’s rating of 4/10. Am I missing something? Ejuke came in and was slicing thru the Tunisian defense like hot knife thru butter! I wish he had played against Algeria. I wish he started the game against Tunisia. An attack of Ejuke, Osimhen and Lookman has me pretty excited! I trust in Rohr’s judgment, but he better have an excellent reason for keeping Ejuke on the bench going forward! My only advice to Ejuke at this juncture is to be more pragmatic with his dribbling, as he tended to overdribble a bit. On a couple of occasions, he dribbled to one side of the pitch, and dribbled back to where he started from, without really hurting the Tunisian defense, or helping the Nigeria attack. Perhaps he wanted to show Rohr and co what they have been missing, and I think he succeeded if that was his intention. Now that he has announced himself loud and clear to Nigerians, he now needs to get down to the brass tacks.
Ejuke is abundantly gifted in dribbling ability and confidence. I also like his energy and work rate. He was willing to help Awaziem out in defending, and was not shy to put his foot in some robust tackles. He looks like a good team player. If he could play with more intelligence, look to use his skills to create opportunities for himself and his team mates, he would be a gem of a player. An exciting prospect indeed!
we have finally drop point in fifa ranking.. aribo ndidi etebo prove to be the frame of super eagle.. fifa is a scam for keeping ejaria and ademola down for no better reasons, why was akpoguma clearance done without blink of eyes? abeg rohr explain why ejuke was benched.
Victor as simple as your comment is, it answers everything. Thumbs up!
Omeruo and awuziem need to be drop because they are getting older, forget abt football age, Omeruo is a good defender but his old now, Our coaches should get that Germany 9ja defender Uduoka, we need more Germany and England 9ja young defenders, also we need tireless attacking midfielders. am very very happy that we finally get Apkogma and we still need more germany defenders like him. ejuke and dessers should be invited always, chukwueze don chop money and can not play like before when his not rich, de some with iheanacho, in brazil team, if you loose form, they will invite other players even though they play in ukurien. Yobo dont deserve to be assitant coach, We meed assitant coach who is a striker in his playing days because our oyibo coach is a defender in his playing days. world cup is fast aproching
the reason for friendly games is purely using a filter to separate the boys from the men.. some players who did well in the first match were left to rest for the second, like an ebuhi cos there are many options at right back untested.. I really pity an omuachu plus an agu and oyeka.. This is the reason why players should not be rushed into the team becos they are scoring goals in their club, leave them to mature and not come to disgrace themselves in the team..
Only few is praising ajayi, a player who played last season and this current one as a central back displacing players who play as midfielders currently in their clubs, he might have not been the best in terms of ball distribution but he tried his best.. Kudos to him
Check this out: Moving forward
Okoye
Tyronne. Akpo. Leon. Zaidu.
Ndidi.
(Etebo)Ejaria. Aribo.
Iheanacho. Iwobi.
Osimhem
…There is this very important addition. Guys, Ola Aina is tested and to me he is a big game player whose contribution is always felt in a game. He has experience of almost two seasons in Seria A. The problem with Ola Aina is that he is so good with both feet that we still dont know if he is best at right or left full back… he is comfortable at both, while his attacking flair and skills is of a high level… I think his defensive side is a little less rugged. I believe if Ola Aina can add some steel to his tackles and shaddow-marking… even Zaidu Sanusi can’t sit him on the bench… we must never forget Ola Aina’s commitment to Super Eagles and Nigeria… I really fancy him as a player.
You are right on Ola aina submission, don’t know why he is on the bench…
@ Jimmyball, I don’t think Rohr refused to play Aina because Sanusi is better. Aina is sure an integral part of the team. I strongly believe Rohr was just trying to thoroughly access Sanusi knowing fully well Ola Aina’s place is assured. Let’s wait for the November list to come out.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles ended the October friendly match window with 1 draw and 1 loss out of 2 matches following a careless 1:1 tie against Tunisia yesterday with victory well in sight.
Leicester City’s Iheanacho turned from hero to villain in the space of 9 minutes after scoring a glorious goal in 21 minutes to put Nigeria ahead only to spurn a golden opportunity to extend that lead in 30 minutes with a poorly prosecuted penalty kick.
Mohammed Drager then dragged the Tunisians back into the match in 44 minutes when his delicious shot in 44 minutes sent Goalkeeper Okoye to Sokoto with the ball destined for Port Harcourt.
1:1 it ended.
Gernot Rohr has thus failed to mastermind a victory for the Super Eagles in our last 4 friendly matches managing 3 draws (from winning positions) and 1 loss against Ukraine, Brazil, Algeria and Tunisia in the space of 12 months.
Here are my brief observations on how the players fared in a clear night in Austria yesterday against Tunisia.
Player ratings:
Starters:
Goalkeeper:
1) Maduka Okoye (7/10) – Another convincing display from the young goalkeeper who made decent saves in the match to underscore his fine reflexes. There is a composure and demeanour about this lad that makes me to feel that the Super Eagles goalpost is safe in his hands. His starting position and runs are good and his catching technique is reassuring.
However, Okoye can be caught out of position when he fully commits himself to a cause of action with leaves him hopelessly exposed if he guesses wrongly. In all, he played well.
Full-backs:
2) Kevin Akpoguma (6.5/10) – This is a player trying too hard to impress his new Super Eagles fan base. He reminds me of someone who just started a new job and is willing to impress his new boss. Defensively Kevin is calm and calculative; offensively, he can be a handful for Nigeria in set-pieces as he almost scored off one. However, he scarcely delivers signature full back crosses.
Kevin’s overall performance as a right fullback would not give any of Ebuehi, Awaziem or Aina sleepless nights. It is Ekong and Omeruo who need to be looking off their shoulders because once Akpoguma comes to his own as a CB, someone will have to make way.
3) Sanusi Zaidu (7/10) – Oh my days! I was loving Sanusi’s wicked long throw-ins which reminded me of Okocha’s throw-in that helped bring Nigeria back from the dead against Brazil in the 1996 Olympics. His interceptions, markings and tackles were as camera-friendly as they were effective.
It is now clear to me that Zaidu Sanusi can strike a good relationship with any Super Eagles winger worth a grain salt. He showed understanding with Simon as he did against Kalu which even makes the wingers look better. Offensively, defensively and in set pieces, Zaidu was top notch
Centre-backs:
4) Leon Balogun (8/10) – Goodness me! This guy is a born-again centre back with evidence of speaking in tongues that will take you to a centre defender’s paradise. I know this might sound too much but elements of Balogun’s play reminded me of Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.
Yesterday, he timed his tackled well, intercepted to desired effect, won a number of aerial and ground duels whilst driving the ball towards the opposition area like an angry terrorist driving a van through a crowd of demonstrators with victims flying left, right and centre. Balogun is undoubtedly rejuvenated.
5) Kenneth Omeruo (6/10) – The Leganes man will always win hearts for his fantastic work rate but he will break the same hearts with sloppy defending and loss of concentration. As usual, the 2013 Afcon Gold medallist “turned up” yesterday with willingness to carry out his tasks to the best of his abilities.
But, he lost his man (twice) en route to Tunisia’s goal and mistimed his tackles more than once. With options not aplenty for the Super Eagles, Omeruo’s foibles can be overlooked. However, as more and more indigenous and dual nationality players with dynamic capabilities are queuing up for their slice of the Super Eagles cake, Omeruo might be the one to give way if he does not rid himself of irritating shortcomings.
Midfielders:
6) Semi Ajayi (7.5/10) – Good grief! Was this the same defensive midfielder who played against Algeria or was it a clone? In sharp contrast to his penultimate game, Ajayi close-marked the Tunisians and conjured some intercepting manoeuvres that were beautiful to the viewing eye.
Ajayi, who is now clearly ahead of Mikel Agu in Super Eagles pecking order, broke down Tunisian play, won aerial battles, sprayed long and short high and low passes and covered a lot of grounds. His dynamic capabilities were in full display last night.
7) Alex Iwobi (8.5/10) – The Everton man makes watching him play for Nigeria similar to being part of an audience watching an orchestra because he oozes of class. This Energizer-bunny-in-Green-White-Green was full of running, tackling, passing and dictating play.
He pressed and probe and delivered a delicious long diagonal pass to pick out Chukwueze in the first half; this is something we would like to see more of. Iwobi covered a lot of grounds and never seemed satisfied until he has made things happen.
He is one Super Eagles player able to shrug off attention from opposition teams in a manner that enhances his effectiveness.
Wingers:
8) Samuel Chukwueze (7/10) – The Villareal man needs to be able to retain his stability even after failed dribble attempts so that he is still able to do something meaningful in such scenarios. In yesterday’s match, Chukwueze caused the Tunisians countless headaches and they often had to double up on him so that he does cause them harm.
Chukwueze was as lively as ever as he released balls early at times, sliced through Tunisia’s defence and delivered some testing corner kicks. But his end product still seems to be hamstrung from his inability shrug off multiple attentions from defenders. But, he did well
9) Moses Simon (6.5/10) – Being a former defender himself, coach Gernot Rohr will continue to be happy with Moses Simon because his best output continues to be in the defensive aspect of his role. Tunisia almost took the lead earlier in the match but thankfully, Simon’s last ditch interception in Nigeria’s 18 yard box came in handy.
Quite a lot of his pull-backs and crosses failed to connect in the opposition’s box 18 but he nonetheless put in a shift that meant the Tunisians could not just take him for granted (and they knew that). Moses Simon can still profit from defenders’ loss of concentration.
Strikers:
10) Kelechi Iheanacho (7/10) – The Leicester City man scored 9th goal in 26 Super Eagles games having swivelled and swerved before leaving his marker totally flummoxed and then slot home with calm and charm. Before that, Iheanacho was hustling and harassing the Tunisians in order to win back possession for Nigeria in a performance that was pleasing to the eye.
His penalty was poor as he lacked conviction running down to take the kick. But that aside, Iheanacho was in the mood as he moved in a manner that caused problems and tried to pick out Musa with some tantalising through passes. Earning a yellow card only goes to show that he wasn’t just satisfied performing the attacking part of his role.
11) Ahmed Musa (6.5/10) – His assist to Iheanacho’s goal was simply and utterly brilliant because he made something happen almost out of nothing. In that move, he showed awareness to anticipate Iheanacho’s run before adjusting his body to deliver a pass that landed where his strike partner wanted.
As with all the other players in this match, Musa was not a passenger. He tried to connect with a lot of passes, one of which led to him being fouled for the penalty that Iheanacho fluffed. Musa added another flavour to his interpretation of his centre forward role which reminded me of how well he partnered Iheanacho against Iceland at the 2018 world cup.
Substitutes: to be continued…
Substitutes:
1) Chidozie Awaziem (6/10): The Boavista man came in and subsequently took his position in the right back position. That department did not collapse as a result of Awaziem’s introduction meaning he did what was expected. He took his position to launch some of his signature crosses whilst he performed his defensive duties admirably well. His overly physical approach to marking could have earned him a booking on another day.
2) Jamilu Collins (6/10): The German-based left full back now has a mountain to climb to regain his automatic starting 11 slot following Sanusi’s blistering start to life as a Super Eagle. However, Collins reminded fans of his salient qualities yesterday as he put in a shift that demonstrated that he can still be trusted when called upon. Not a lot was seen of him in the way of overlapping runs.
3) Cyriel Dessers (6/10): Wasn’t exactly his dream debut but he still had an effort on goal. More will surely come from the Genk forward who didn’t get into the match enough for Nigerians to fully gauge what he brings to the Super Eagles table.
4) Chidera Ejuke (6/10): Samuel Chukwueze part 2! I think Ejuke held on to the ball longer than necessary at times but his dribbling abilities aren’t in dispute. It is what happens afterwards that will need to be polished in coming games if Nigeria is to truly reap rewards from Ejuke and Chukwueze’s take-ons.