AFCON 2023 Qualifiers: Osimhen fires blanks, but Osayi-Samuel’s brilliance gives Nigeria bright hopes

The Super Eagles were not at their best, but they managed to grind out the result

The Super Eagles of Nigeria reclaimed their spot at the top of group A of the qualifiers after a tough 1-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau at the September 12 Stadium in Bissau.

Nigeria lost the first leg in Abuja, but they showed great character to bounce back in the reverse fixture.

The performance was not entirely convincing, but Jose Peseiro’s lads managed to grind out the result.

Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the players that did business for Nigeria.

Francis Uzoho 6/10: Nigeria’s goalkeeper had a good day in the office even though he hardly had anything to do. He almost cost Nigeria in the second half, but he was lucky that Guinea-Bissau did not take their chance.

Semi Ajayi 7/10: The West Brom man had a decent game. He replaced Kevin Akpoguma on the lineup, and he put up a strong performance. He never put a foot in the game and blocked everything that came his way.

Kenneth Omeruo 6.7/10: He was captain fantastic. He coordinated his teammates properly, as well as the back line. Omeruo was disciplined and held his own.

Bright Osayi-Samuel 8/10: The Fenerbahce man was unarguably the best player on the pitch for Nigeria. He was superb defensively and in attack, he was brilliant. His runs caused trouble for the Djurtus and he won the penalty that led to the goal for the Super Eagles.

Zaidu Sanusi 6.5: The Porto star had a good game. He did not have a lot of defending to do, but he held his own whenever he was called upon. Sanusi did not offer a lot in the attack. Still, he had a good game.

Frank Onyeka 6.3/10: He replaced Wilfred Ndidi in the starting lineup, and he had a decent performance. Onyeka lost the ball in midfield occasionally, but his teammates covered his blushes. He was positive, always willing to push forward, and he put in some very good tackles to win the ball back for Nigeria.

Alex Iwobi 6/10: Iwobi had a decent game, but he failed to create anything meaningful for Nigeria. He had a few shots, but they were wayward. Nonetheless, he formed a good partnership with Onyeka at the heart of the midfield.

Terem Moffi 6/10: He could not score, but his presence troubled the home side. He looked more convincing than Osimhen, and he put himself about, linking up with the wingers and midfielders.

Moses Simon 7/10: Simon has a good game for Nigeria. He scored the solitary goal for Nigeria. He looked dangerous in the attack but he failed to create clear-cut opportunities for the attackers. He was muscled off the ball a few times, and his final balls were not good enough.

Samuel Chukwueze 5.7/10: The Villarreal man has been brilliant for his club this season, but he was abysmal at Guinea-Bissau. His decision-making was poor, his finals balls were far from decent, and he failed to open up the Guinea-Bissau backline.

Victor Osimhen 6/10: The dangerous Napoli man was stopped from scoring again. He received better services unlike in the first leg, but he failed to score. He hit the upright late in the first half. But asides from that, he had little goal-mouth action.

Joe Aribo 5.9/10: Aribo replaced Moffi in the 61st minute. He could have done something significant a few minutes after his introduction but his decision to shoot instead of passing after he was played through by Simon did not pay off, as his shot was saved. Aribo looked a little rusty as he has not had a lot of game time at Southampton recently.