Super Eagles player ratings : Ndidi terrific; Aribo descent; Musa a leader; Ekong & Balogun solid

Nigeria defeated Liberia 2-0 at the Stade Ibn Batouta in Tangier on Saturday evening to set up a winner-take-all clash with nearest Group C challengers Cape Verde on the final day of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Victor Osimhen and Ahmed Musa got the goals from the spot for the three-time African champions.

With one game to go in the second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Nigeria have accumulated twelve points, two more than the Blue Sharks, while Liberia and Central African Republic have no mathematical chance of making the playoff round.

Michael Arinze takes a look at who stood out for Gernot Rohr's team in his player ratings :

The Starters

Goalkeeper

Maduka Okoye : Didn't have much to do in goal. Made some decent saves but not tested. 6/10.

Defenders

Chidozie Awaziem : Took no prisoners with his tackles. Interestingly he made forward passes which released the forward players. 7/10.

William Troost-Ekong : The stand-in captain was in control of the defence with his organisation. He made crucial stops at the back and his long, diagonal balls set up his attacking teammates. 7/10.

Leon Balogun : The Rangers center back made one fantastic block in the second half with a Liberian player bearing down on goal and got up swiftly to surge forward with the ball. 7/10.

Midfielders

Wilfred Ndidi : The Liecester City star broke plays at will albeit some of his passes were over hit. He remains arguably the most important Super Eagles player. 8:10.

Joe Aribo : The Rangers midfielder kept it simple in the middle of the park although it has to be said that the match was not his best thus far, he was decent and disciplined in and without possession. 7/10.

Alex Iwobi : Was substituted off in the second half. Did not really pull all the stops to make the Eagles midfield his playground. 6/10.

Jamilu Collins : Defensively Collins was okay. However he lost the balls a couple of times while trying to surge forward which put pressure on his teammates in the back line.  5/10.

Moses Simon : The Nantes of France winger continues to show his immense contribution to the team not only in the attacking phase but helping in defence, although his xG needs improvement. 6/10.

Strikers

Victor Osimhen : Scored Nigeria's first penalty goal albeit he missed a good chance to double his efforts towards the end of the first half. Threat for the opposition. 7/10.

Kelechi Iheanacho : The Leicester City star's link up play can sometimes be magnificent and other times frustrating. He released some of his teammates with good passes which were not utilized. He also had a glorious chance wasted. 6/10.

The Substitutes  

Ahmed Musa : Scored the clincher with the last kick of the game with the second penalty. Shows leadership on and off the pitch. 6/10.

Chidera Ejuke : The CSKA Moscow star came off the bench in place of Alex Iwobi but his first contribution was to lose the ball after he made to dribble past a very alert Liberian. Okay but not exceptional today. 5/10.

Michael Arinze