Super Eagles player ratings: Nwabali error, Ndidi gritty, Simon super-sub again, Osimhen saves the day

The Super Eagles played our a 1-1 draw with Benin on matchday five of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Allnigeriasoccer.com runs the rule over the Super Eagles players in action during the fixture at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan.

The starters

Goalkeeper

Stanley Nwabali: He made a huge error for Benin's goal but was able to maintain his composure for the rest of the game. 5/10

Defenders

Ola Aina: The Nottingham Forest defender carelessly lost the ball early on in the second half, but luckily, Junior Olaitan couldn't convert the resulting chance. Overall, he was decent. 6/10

Gabriel Osho: It was an unimpressive debut for the former Luton Town defender whose poor pass led to the corner that resulted in Benin's opener.

Unsurprisingly, he was brought off at the start of the second half. 4/10

William Troost-Ekong: It wasn't an outstanding performance from the stand-in skipper who should have exuded more composure in some circumstances but hurriedly cleared the ball away. 6/10

Calvin Bassey: The Fulham centre-back started shakily but was able to regain his composure, particularly in the second half. 6/10

Bruno Onyemaechi: He played as a wingback in the first half and was able to pick out some nice positions. 7/10

Midfielders and fowards

Wilfred Ndidi: The Leicester City midfielder put up a good show to help break up possession of the Cheetahs to help Nigeria control the game. Was not dribbled past over the course of 90 minutes.  7.5/10

Alex Iwobi: It was a quiet game for the Fulham midfielder who was deployed and initially played in a double pivot before he was given more freedom in the second half but failed to impact the game. 5/10

Kelechi Iheanacho: He was handed a rare start, and he failed to justify his selection and was replaced at the start of the second half. 4/10

Victor Osimhen: He missed a first chance in the first half but made amends by netting the equalizer with a header in the second half. 8/10

Ademola Lookman: It was a quiet game for the Atalanta forward who failed to make any impact in the final third. 5/10

The substitutes

Moses Simon: For the third game in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the Nantes dazzler came off the bench to provide an assist. He produced a moment of brilliance by swinging a precise cross into the penalty for Osimhen to score the equalizer. 8/10

Raphael Onyedika: He came on at the start of the second half and helped the Super Eagles boss possession. 6/10

Victor Boniface: Spotted the goalkeeper off his line in the stoppage time and tried an ambitious long-range effort but couldn't pull it off. 5/10

Frank Onyeka: The Brentford-owned midfielder came on very late to be assessed. N/A

Bright Osayi-Samuel: Came on for Ola Aina with eight minutes remaining. He approached the game with a more focused attitude than the Nottingham Forest star. 6/10

Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

Copyright ANS
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from allnigeriasoccer.com