Super Eagles player grades : Osayi-Samuel, Iwobi star; Osimhen disappoints again; Omeruo leader

Nigeria returned to winning ways as they defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 at the Estádio 24 de Setembro courtesy of a goal from the penalty spot from Moses Simon. 

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The Super Eagles now sit first in group A of the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers with 9 points, and a win against Sierra Leone in June will seal their place at the African Cup of Nations next year.

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Allnigeriasoccer.com rates the players that were on parade on Monday evening

 

The Starters

 

Goalkeeper

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Francis Uzoho: The Super Eagles' goalie had nothing much to do the whole game. He almost got himself into trouble in the second half when he hesitated to pass the ball to his nearest teammate and also got a yellow card, a few minutes before the end of the game. 6.5/10

 

Defenders

 

Bright Osayi-Samuel: The Fenerbahce defender picked up where he left it in the first leg in Abuja. He was energetic and it was one of his bursting runs that gave Nigeria the penalty which was converted by Moses Simon. He was also responsible for keeping the dangerous Jorginho quiet. He is the undisputed first choice right back now. 9/10

 

Semi Ajayi: The West Brom defender was a calming presence in defence and he was always at the right place to sniff out danger. He was also responsible for keeping Mama Balde quiet. 7/10

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Kenneth Omeruo: The stand-in Super Eagles captain offered leadership and calmness to the defence, though was caught out of place at times. However, the Leganes defender did enough to justify starting ahead of Calvin Bassey.6.5/10

 

Zaidu Sanusi: This was a much more improved performance from the Porto left-back. He was solid defensively, though not much came his way and was excellent offensively with his bursting runs ahead of Simon and his long passing from the back was decent. 7/10

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Midfielders and strikers

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Frank Onyeka: The Brentford midfielder came in for Wilfred Ndidi and looked okay justifying his selection ahead of the Leicester City midfielder. He offered more protection to the defence and was hardworking.6/10

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Alex Iwobi: Just like he did in the first leg, he was the connector between midfield and attack and did his job well. He can be quicker with his decision-making but he is one of the few that can hold his head high after two legs against Guinea-Bissau. 8/10

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Samuel Chukwueze: The Villareal forward was as frustrating as ever with his poor final passes and decision-making. He got better in the second half but didn't do enough to silence critics.6/10

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Moses Simon: This was a more improved performance from the Nantes winger, particularly in the second half when he showed great understanding with Sanusi and substitute, Aribo. He also took his penalty well. 7/10

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Terem Moffi: The Nice striker had little or no services throughout his stay on the pitch. He got a good chance in the first half when he had the opportunity to either hit the target or pass to Osimhen but fluffed the opportunity. He got another in the second half but couldn't sort his feet out, a disappointing performance. 5/10

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Victor Osimhen: He came close to scoring when his shot hit the woodwork in the second but was largely disappointing as he was constantly caught offside regularly. He tried too much to impress, this was another disappointing display by his standard. 4.5/10

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The Substitutes

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​Joe Aribo: The Southampton midfielder came on at the hour mark for Moffi and didn't look like a player struggling for game time. He was constantly running into the box to provide more threat to the Djurtus defence and should have gotten himself on the scoresheet. 6.5/10

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​Wilfred Ndidi: He came on for Samuel Chukwueze in the 80th minute and had nothing much to do as Nigeria sought to protect their lead. 5/10

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​Ahmed Musa: The most capped Super Eagles player of all time came on for the match-winner, Simon with 120 seconds left to be played. N/A

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Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

 

 

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