The senior national team of Nigeria move one step closer to qualifying for the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 win over Liberia at their adopted home ground in Morocco.
Two penalties in each half converted by Victor Osimhen and Ahmed Musa helped Nigeria sealed the win but will still have to wait till on Tuesday to see if they are through to the final stage of the qualifiers.
The other group game between Cape Verde and Central Africa Republic ended in a 2-1 win for Cape Verde, which keeps their hope of qualifying alive until the final round of games, where they need a win against Nigeria who will be thorough with a draw
Here is how the Super Eagles players performed in the win over Liberia.
Maduka Okoye – Need to work on his decision making. Punched a ball he could have handled easily. Didn’t look quite comfortable with the ball at his feet…..5/10
Chidozie Awaziem – Played in Kelechi Iheanacho twice with well timed high balls. Solid defensively and move the ball up the pitch a lot quicker than the rest…..7/10
William Ekong – Came close to scoring with a header and looked very imposing at the back. Nice turn of pace as well when under pressure…..6/10
Leon Balogun – One of the best when it comes to playing from the back among the defenders. A solid but not spectacular display…..5/10
Jamilu Collins – Unlucky to have his first half effort erroneously ruled out for offside. With the ball at his feet in advanced position he wasn’t quite assured but defensively he was solid…..5/10
Moses Simon – Hardworking, determined and full of energy. Brings a different dimension to the team when he goes forward as he is very direct…..6.5/10
Wilfred Ndidi – Screened the defence properly and also played his part in setting up the team’s attack. Very much the fulcrum upon which the team rotates…..6/10
Joe Aribo – Played Osimhen in with a fantastic over the top pass and worked his socks off for the team. Not at his best attack wise compensated for it by covering lot of grounds….5/10
Kelechi Iheanacho- Bar the fact that he won the penalty which gave Nigeria the opening goal he didn’t do much. Although his clever runs particularly in the first half make him a handful for the Liberians…..5/10
Alex Iwobi – Didn’t have a good game that match his high rating. Showed no urgency and was guilty of letting him move unchallenged thrice. It almost proved costly…..4/10
Victor Osimhen – Took his penalty nicely but showed no particular sign of same player ripping Serie A apart with goals. Wasted a good chance to put Nigeria two goals up and lost possession than any other player in Nigeria’s colour…..5/10
Substitutes:
Chidera Ejuke – Lively when he came on but didn’t match same height like in the previous games he played for the team…..4/10
Ahmed Musa – Showed no nerves when he slot home the penalty that rounded up the win for Nigeria…..5/10