Nigeria U17 player ratings : Abdullahi clinical, Ogwor outstanding, Mbata combative, Michael gem

The 2022 WAFU Zone B U-17 Championship was won by Nigeria's Golden Eaglets, who defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 on Friday night in Cape Coast Ghana.

In the 22nd minute, Abubakar Abdullahi headed in an Emmanuel Michael precise cross to give the Golden Eaglets the lead.

Four minutes before halftime, Burkina Faso tied the game 1-1 after capitalising on a defensive blunder.

Emmanuel Michael's free-kick was fumbled by the Burkina Faso goalkeeper and Abdullahi pounced on the loose ball to give Nigeria a 2-1 lead early in the second half.

Allnigeriasoccer.com gives the ratings for the players.

The Starters

Goalkeeper
 

Richard Udoh: Calming performance. Great save from a dangerous 1st-minute free-kick. Another wonderful save to deny Burkina Faso in the 57th minute. Misjudged the flight of the ball for the goal. 7/10

Defenders

Emmanuel Michael: Outstanding pinpoint cross to Abdullahi in the 22nd minute for Nigeria's opener. His fierce freekick in the 47th minute was fumbled by the Burkina Faso goalkeeper which Abdullahi scored his second from. Great forward play and was also diligent in his defensive duties. 8.510

Jeremiah Olaleke: Took one for the team after Oyebanjo's error in the first minute almost resulted in a one-on-one chance for Burkina Faso. Outstanding maturity to play the whole game without risk of getting a second yellow. Calm and bullish in his tackles. Could have done better for the conceded goal but that will come with experience. 8.5/10

Miracle Ogwor: Formed a wall alongside Olaleke against Burkina Faso's quick and tricky attackers. Outstanding defending to deny what looked like a certain goal in the 65th minute. Lost his positioning which lead to Camara's awful miss the late in the game but that could have been due to fatigue rather than anything else. Deserved man of the match. 9.5/10

Yahaya Lawal: Technically, the right-back is at a level which belittles his tender years. Orchestrated a beautiful and incisive attacking sequence in the 10th minute which sadly broke down. Top managers like Guardiola and Klopp would have been proud of such technique and execution.

Great outing, did his job without a fuss and provided width when necessary. 8/10

Midfielders
 

Basil Mbata: Would have been man of the match if not for Ogwor's impenetrable and Abdullahi's clinical performances. Tireless, won interceptions and drove forward with pace. Top-notch combinational play, brings stability and drive.

Very mobile and was instrumental to Nigeria sustaining pressure on Burkina Faso. Played like Chelsea's N'golo Kante and added some beautiful turns and several line-breaking passes to the game. One of such line-breaking passes almost resulted in a goal in the 55th minute. 9/10

Raphael Oyebanjo: Early error to put the defence in trouble, lost possession in 26th minute that could have resulted in an equaliser, the midfielder had a first-half to forget. Came alive towards the end when the pressure was on with so many blocks and interceptions. Will need to keep his fouling at a minimum. 6.5/10

Ebube Okere: Movement and footwork were top-class throughout. Also knows how to win fouls and free-kicks. Broke the lines regularly which forced Burkina Faso to add another body to the midfield in the second half. Great technical abilities were shown in his 45th-minute lobbed pass and powerful shot which came off the post in the 66th minute.

Would be grateful his 89th-minute horrible miss was not needed to win the title. Great performance. 8/10

Forwards

Precious Williams: Tireless. Offered great diagonal movement, quality on the ball and good combinational play. Swapped positions with Abdullahi often to confuse the Burkina Faso defence. Didn't score but was a great presence in the attack. 7.5/10

Jubril Azeez: Got his old form back. A thorn in Burkina Faso's flesh. Pacy, skillful, and lovely technical abilities. Glorious play to set up Abdullahi in the 34th minute who failed to convert. He has a natural nose for space and manipulates the ball very well

Faded a bit in the second half and was replaced by Uche in the 87th minute. 8/10

Abubakar Abdullahi: A full-blown transitional threat. Scored a brace with one coming from Micheal's cross. Great killer instincts to take advantage of Burkina Faso's goalkeeper error for his second goal. Subbed off due to injury late on. 910

The Substitutes

Light Eke: Replaced the injured Abdullahi and offered pace and trickery. End product was a bit wanting and needs more work. 5/10

Richard Uche: Replaced Azeez and helped out defensively when Burkina Faso launched a late onslaught. 5/10

Umar Abubakar: Replaced Williams and almost made a goalscoring impact after his introduction. 5/10

Sofoluwe Mayowa

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