The Super Eagles of Nigeria who are now ranked 29th on the FIFA Ranking for the month of September, took on the Desert Foxes of Algeria with the sole aim of getting a sort of revenge.
The game which took place in Austria was the second meeting between the two sides in a space of 16 months. The Super Eagles will however, start the game on the wrong foot after the Algerians got a goal in the sixth minute of play through Ramy Benhaini after the Nigerian defense failed to clear their lines.
Rohr looked like a clueless manager on the sidelines, he made some changes to be able to get something out of the game albeit the changes could not get him the needed results.
Sportmata’s Matheson take an in depth analysis of some of the key things that he was able learn from the clash.
1. Maduka Okoye in top form in his first full appearance
Maduka Okoye was in fine form for Nigeria as he was able to pop up with multiple saves to ensure the scoreline does not look embarrassing for Nigeria against the 2019 AFCON Champions.
He made a brilliant save to deny Said Benrahma in the first half, he was on hand to prevent Andy Derlort from scoring too from a freekick.
Maduka was so composed despite Ekong and Balogun looking very shaky at the back for Nigeria. More game time will ensure that Nigeria do not worry about the absence of Uzoho who is still recovering from injury.
2. Paul Onuachu needs to improve and at risk of not being called up for subsequent games
Paul Onuachu looked like a frustrated figure on the pitch, his hold up play was poor and was guilty for gifting possession to the opposition on several occasions.
Onuachu is the best striker Nigeria could boast of in Europe following his fine form for Genk that have seen him score 3 times for the Belgian Side in their last three games.
Unfortunately, Onuachu could not replicate such performance that saw him called up as a replacement for the unavailable Victor Osimhen. He could only muster one shot on goal all game to cap off a disappointing game.
3. Ndidi and Etebo remains the spine of the Midfield as Iwobi looks a shadow of himself
Despite Ajayi putting in a good performance in Midfield, he was however, still not playing to the level of the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo. The two guys were surely missed as Nigeria struggled to keep possession against the Algerians.
Iwobi looks a shadow of himself in the encounter with a lot of miss placed passes. A moment of brilliance that almost saw him score albeit not hitting the target was the only positive from the Everton Midfield star all game.
4. Frank Onyeka looks tired while Ekong now looks like a Championship defender that he is.
Frank Onyeka who recently helped FC Mityjland to secure Champions League a couple of weeks ago made his debut for Nigeria against Algeria and struggled to exert any positive response to his call up. He looked particularly tired on the pitch and was very clumsy with his tackles. A very full debut for the man who wore the number r shirt on the night for the Super Eagles.
On the other hand, Ekong who recently joined Watford football club from their sister Club Udinese was very culpable for the most possession lost during the course of the game. His performance was so poor that on several occasions, it was Balogun who came to his aid to clear his messes at the back for the Eagles. Hopefully he will turn up with a better performance for Nigeria against Tunisia.
5. Couple of Players player out of Position, Moses and Kalu need to do more from the Wings.
Nigeria who finished as the 3rd best te at the last AFCON will need to work on their wing play as the likes of Moses Simon and Samuel could do very little with ball at their feet.
Samuel Kalu was particularly guilty for misses goal scoring chances. He blazed a couple of shots into the stands before being substituted.
Rohr played a couple of our outfield players out of position, this include Kevin Akpoguma and Semi Ajayi with Akpoguma a central defender playing as a right back while Semi Ajayi a central defender for West Bromwich Albion playing as a defensive midfielder though he had once played the role whole at Rotherham.
It will be expected that we will see several changes in the starting line up against Tunisia in three days time and Rohr will be expected to ensure his side gets the vital win to keep our pedigree as one of the best teams in the African Continent. Nigeria take on Tunisia on the 13th of October, 2020.
Question: How can Nigeria improve ahead of their AFCON qualifiers scheduled for November?
Drop your prediction for the Nigeria vs Tunisia game.
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