Ezekiel Bassey : Home- Based Players Were Absolutely Superb Against Swaziland

Enyimba marksman Ezekiel Bassey reckons that the local - based players gave a good account of themselves in Tuesday evening’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Swaziland.

Before the start of the contest, Nigeria manager Sunday Oliseh set tongues wagging when he included three Nigeria Professional Football League stars in his starting XI and relegated senior players Obi Mikel and Elderson Echiejile to the bench.

“Rating of the home - based players that featured in the game is left for the journalists to do, not me. I am a player like them but they were absolutely superb, ” Ezekiel Bassey told allnigeriasoccer.com.

“The coach ( Sunday Oliseh) did not tell me anything before I entered the pitch. It was the assistant coach that told me what to do.

“I don’t think that was my best game in a Nigerian shirt, I think I was better against Burkina Faso in the second leg of the CHAN qualifiers.”

Bassey’s direct and powerful running caused several problems to the Swaziland defense when he came on in the 82nd minute for injured Gent winger Moses Simon.

And the 19 - year - old was somehow involved in the second goal scored by the Super Eagles after he was brought down and the referee indicated a freekick, which was finally converted by Efe Ambrose.