Super Eagles player ratings: Lookman stars; Yusuf pocket battleship; Aina skilful; Osimhen wasteful; Iwobi fades away

Nigeria played a 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in their opening game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Allnigeriasoccer.com runs the rule over the Super Eagles players involved in the game.

 

The starters

Goalkeeper

Stanley Nwabali: The debutant goalkeeper had no threat to deal with all game and couldn't do anything to prevent the goal conceded. 5/10

 

Defenders 

 

Ola Aina: The skilful Nottingham Forest full-back was solid and almost gave Nigeria the lead from a solo run in the second half but was denied by the brilliant Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper. 7/10

William Troost-Ekong: The stand-in skipper produced the long pass that led to the equalizer and was decent in his defensive responsibilities. 6/10

Semi Ajayi: The West Brom defender looked shaky all afternoon having made a lot of errors in judgment despite the team being on the front foot for most of the game. 5/10

Zaidu Sanusi: Missed two glorious opportunities to affect the scoreline and was one of the poorest performers in the encounter. 4/10

Midfielders and strikers

 

Frank Onyeka: He was effective though not spectacular as  he made sure the Super Eagles kept their dominance in the game. 6/10

 

Alhassan Yusuf: Small in stature, the Royal Antwerp midfielder didn't look out of place on his competitive debut. He was hardworking, had to be taken off due to injury in the second half. Hopefully, he is fit for the next game. 7/10

 

Alex Iwobi: The Hale End product had a poor game by his standards. Had a bright start in the opening five minutes and then faded.  5/10

Ademola Lookman: He was the Super Eagles' best player in the afternoon as he looked purposeful with all his actions and it was his brilliance that led to the equalizer. 8/10

 

Victor Osimhen: Despite getting the only goal in the encounter, the Napoli star was far from his perfect best as he missed two big chances. It was a disappointing afternoon for the world class striker. 6.5/10

Moses Simon: The Nantes forward had a good effort saved at the end of the first half and that was his only substantial impact in the game. 5/10

 

The substitutes

Joe Aribo: Made a good run before the blast of the final whistle but couldn't direct the ball towards the foot of any of his teammates. 4/10

 

Samuel Chukwueze: Had a chance to put Osimhen on goal late in the game but shocking misplaced the pass. 4/10

 

Calvin Bassey: Played at left back when he came on and showed no reason why he should have come on. 4/10

Bright Osayi-Samuel: Came late on in the game and had no ample time to influence the game. 5/10

 

Paul Onuachu: The lanky striker also came on very late to be assessed. N/A

 

 

 

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid
 

 

 

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