Aside the manner of the victory in Krasnodar on Tuesday evening: if there was no other thing else, the left and right back positions brought a new breath of fresh air and huge sighs of relief, if the performance of the second half entrants was anything to go by.

Tyronne Ebuehi and Brian Idowu, both of who came on in the 46th minute comfortingly warmed hearts — the latter not just because of his goal but it was very easy to glean how the duo had dutifully encumbered the forays of the Albiceleste attackers.

So far, Rohr has made little fuss of those under-performing positions throughout Nigeria's World Cup series — quite obvious it had been that the German had not seen or made out the best in those rear flanks but had largely tried to strike a balance, something he deserves huge credit for.

Shehu Abdullahi, naturally a midfielder, had tried to cut it fine at the right, left-side veteran, Elderson Echiejile has been beleaguered to an extent of head calling; no thanks to his occasional unconvincing displays, Ola Aina had been thrown into the fray with mixed turnouts.

But suddenly, it seems the team's struggles at those positions are about to end with the unearthing of the those two.

For most part of that second half, as Ebuehi busied himself covering grounds ,battling with ángel Di María while proving a reliable attacking outlet as well as tracking back brilliantly, Idowu hesitantly lurked more around his defense, dueling intuitively while picking out the best time to make available himself, dispatching his goal with likely his first touch.

While those two look the perfect fit for those positions, the same might not be said of their mates who had earlier held up those areas.

Such ace-in-the-hole situation is a welcome one now, a suggestion that the Super Eagles team selectors might not have much tweaking to do come 2018.

If Idowu continues to feature for Amkar Perm in the Russian Premier League and Ebuehi on his side churn out optimal performances in the Netherlands for Ado Den Haag, they look dead-certs for at least, places in the Russia party and perhaps even staking further claims on those berths for the national team.

Emmanuel Chinaza

Photo Credit : Instagram.com/tyronneebuehi_