Eagles player ratings : Balogun, Ekong come under scrutiny; Osimhen not himself; Awoniyi no saviour

Published: October 07, 2021

The Super Eagles suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Central African Republic on matchday three of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

On a dark day for Nigerian football, a draw would not have been the end of the world, but the Gernot Rohr-led side conceded late when Karl Namnganda pounced on some sloppy defending to score the game-winning goal in the 90th minute.

Allnigeriasoccer.com's Izuchukwu Okosi was there at the Teslim Balogun Stadium and presents the player ratings' from the disappointing game.

The Starters

Goalkeeper

Francis Uzoho : Called to action as he made a vital save towards the end of the game. 5/10.

Defenders

Ola Aina : The right back defended well and supported the attack at will. However most of his crosses were over hit. 6.5/10

Jamilu Collins : The left back was jittery and almost put the team in trouble even before the visitors ' goal arrived. 5/10

Leon Balogun : The Glasgow Rangers central defender had poor communication with his defensive partner, William Troost Ekong. 4/10

William Troost Ekong : Had a better first half albeit he made a vital clearance in the second half. Was at fault with Balogun for the goal scored by CAR. 5/10.

Midfielders and Strikers

Frank Onyeka : The Brentford midfielder was impressive in the game but his first half was a better outing than the second. Sprayed the passes well and was supportive of Collins when the Paderborn defender darted forward. 6/10.

Joe Aribo : The Glasgow Rangers star was deep lying in his playmaking role albeit he lost possession several times. 5.5/10.

Kelechi Iheanacho : The Leicester man wasted a glaring chance to score. He would have redeemed himself with an assist for Victor Osimhen but the latter lost that chance. Subbed off at half time. 5/10.

Chidera Ejuke : The skillful midfielder cum winger was a delight to watch and was the fans' only cause to smile with his footwork and brilliant link up play. 7/10.

Moses Simon : Full of energy but his decision making was not top notch. 6/10.

Victor Osimhen : The Napoli striker bullied his markers at will but he was guilty of missing two gilt-edged chances to score. 5/10.

The Substitutes

Taiwo Awoniyi : Brought on half-time for his senior debut, the Union Berlin striker missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring shortly after his introduction. 4/10.

Ahmed Musa : The substantive captain of the team brought urgency to the attack when he came on. But it was a tad too late to conjure up any magic. 5/10.

Samuel Kalu : The Bordeaux forward came close to delivering the goods from a free-kick but the ball flew agonizingly wide off target. That was his major impact from the bench 6/10.

Izuchukwu Okosi

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