Ajax CB continues to struggle as he gives away a penalty in Nigeria's draw v Algeria

Calvin Bassey continues to struggle in defence as he gave away a penalty which prevented the Super Eagles from coming from behind to claim a win during their international friendly against Algeria's home-based squad on Friday, September 23.

Heading into the international break, the Ajax Amsterdam central defender came under scrutiny for his performances during the defeats to Liverpool and AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Champions League and Dutch Eredivisie respectively. 

And he didn't cover himself in glory in the closing minutes of yesterday's game as the referee awarded a penalty after he pushed USM Alger striker Mahious in the box. 

CR Belouizdad attacker Karim Aribi profited from a horrendous goalkeeping error from the rusty Watford glovesman Maduka Okoye to give the Algerians the lead in the first half. 

On as a substitute in the second half, in-form Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi scored the pick of the goals with a well placed shot from distance, before another substitute Cyriel Dessers made it 2-1 with a left-footed shot from close range. 

Mahious dusted himself down and scored from the spot to equalise for the North African side. 

Predominantly a left-back, Bassey has played mostly as a central defender since the second half of last season. 

Nigeria will be aiming to win their first game in three attempts against Algeria when the two countries face off on Tuesday in Oran. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel