Ndidi, The Real Hero Behind Nigeria Win Vs Iceland: Leicester Star Top Man In Aerials Won Again

Published: June 23, 2018

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has praised Kenneth Omeruo for his outstanding aerial display in his side's 2-0 win over Iceland, but the Chelsea defender was not Nigeria's top man in that statistic.

The Iceland team, being the tallest team at the 2018 World Cup, had been expected to dominate the three-time African champions in the air but were outclassed by Omeruo and Wilfred Ndidi.

For the second straight game, Ndidi showcased his aerial ability, finishing the match with a game-high eight aerial battles won to place first ahead of Omeruo with six, according to statistics from whoscored.com.

The Foxes number 25 won the most aerial duels in the game against Croatia, with five headers won.

Ndidi was not only a threat in the air against Iceland as the defensive midfielder impressed in other categories, with four successful tackles to his name, a game-high, an honour he shares with Oghenekaro Etebo, Tyronne Ebuehi and Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Kenneth Omeruo and Leon Balogun were Nigeria's top players in interceptions with three made, one more than Ndidi, while Troost-Ekong had the most clearances, six.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel