The Super Eagles debuted the new ‘Adire’ jersey and lost 2-1 to the Desert Foxes of Algeria.
The match was a tight affair, not helped by the biased nature of the centre referee though it made the match a complete lesson for Coach Jose Peseiro as he beds down to creating a formidable Eagles team for the 2023 Nations Cup tournament.
Though the referee was not the best, the Eagles also had lapses in their technical output, a point Peseiro alluded to in a post-match interview.
For the first time, Calvin Bassey (22) and Kevin Akpoguma (27) started together as the central defensive pairing. Also, two left-footed forwards-Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi started together as the offensive pairing.
Here are the ratings of the players against Algeria on 27 September at Stade Olympique d’Oran.
| Name | Age | Mins | Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Uzoho | 23 | 90 | 5.5/10 | Uzoho should have saved Youcef Atal’s shot, even though he should have expected his defenders to block it. He still had time to adjust to the flight and make a save. Peseiro’s Eagles are undoubtedly looking for a goalkeeper who exudes confidence and can help the team improve. |
| Ola Aina | 25 | 90 | 6/10 | Aina was his usual self, comfortable on the ball and in defensive duels. He didn’t go forward as often as he would have liked because Algeria had more than 60% of ball possession. |
| Kevin Akpoguma | 27 | 90 | 5/10 | Maybe he was nervous on Tuesday, but Akpoguma did not look like an elite defender against Algeria. Though neither of the two goals was the result of his errors, the Algerians took advantage of his lack of composure and lax positioning. |
| Calvin Bassey | 22 | 90 | 6.5/10 | His positional sense and flexibility were evident throughout the game, indicating that his move to Ajax is already paying off. He was at ease in one-on-one situations and excelled at playing the ball out of defence. A firm fixture for the Eagles for many years. |
| Zaidu Sanusi | 25 | 90 | 2022-10-06 00:00:00 | If he can improve his last ball, Sanusi has the potential to become a thoroughbred left back. His final touch let him and his team down at least three times. The Porto defender was not intimidated by Riyad Mahrez and was defensively sound throughout the game. |
| Frank Onyeka | 24 | 90 | 6/10 | He did a good job of containing the Algerian midfielders, and his only mistake was going full pelt to give the referee an excuse to award a penalty. He was disciplined and straightforward in his defensive work and distribution of the ball. |
| Alex Iwobi | 26 | 90 | 6/10 | Iwobi’s approach was a little hesitant, but that could be because he played a more defensive role in the 4-4-2 formation. The Everton midfielder tried to be offensive at all times and always looked for a forward pass. |
| Moses Simon | 27 | 90 | 6/10 | Simon was captaining the side for a second time and he was all action throughout the encounter. |
| Ademola Lookman | 24 | 83 | 5/10 | He scored a perfectly good goal that was disallowed, but he was also largely pedestrian for large swathes of the game. |
| Terem Moffi | 23 | 45 | 7/10 | Moffi, who has six goals in Ligue 1, took his goal with a predatory sense. His ball control was excellent, and he created opportunities for his teammates. He is generally good in many aspects of the game and is demonstrating that he will be the most likely partner for Victor Osimhen in the future. |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | 25 | 90 | 5/10 | Iheanacho’s first shot resulted in Moffi’s goal, and he had four more shots on goal, but aside from these, it was difficult to see how the Leicester City forward influenced the game. |
| Substitutes | ||||
| Saviour Godwin | 26 | 25 | 2022-10-05 00:00:00 | The Casa Pia forward attempted some darting runs down the right, and a mishit cross nearly turned into an unlikely equaliser late on. |
| Taiwo Awoniyi | 25 | 18 | 2022-10-04 00:00:00 | If Peseiro was expecting an offensive energy boost, he didn’t get it from Awoniyi, who may lose his spot on the team in the future. |
| Cyriel Dessers | 27 | 5 | NA | Not enough time for quality assessment |
| Raphael Onyedika | 21 | 5 | NA | Not enough time for quality assessment |
| Manager | ||||
| Jose Peseiro | 62 | 6/10 | Even though the Eagles relied more on the counter-attack, the team is more organised. He was also willing to confront the officials when he felt his team was being unfairly punished. |
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