A lone strike by newly signed Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Tolu Arokodare helped Nigeria beat Rwanda 1-0 for what was their first win at home in the world cup qualifiers, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
It takes the point tally of the Super Eagles to ten ahead of Tuesday’s crucial world cup qualifiers away to the group leaders South Africa.
We rate the players on display for Nigeria in the game.
Stanley Nwabali – Didn’t have much to do in goal but show good command of his goal area, when required. Picked up an avoidable yellow card for dissent…..7/10
Ola Aina – Solid performance as he won all of his duels and liked up with the attack when required…..7/10
Bruno Onyemaechi – Suspect in defending and struggled to keep his man in check. He did play a huge role in the goal scored with a strong run into the box…..6/10
Benjamin Fredrick – Wasn’t fazed by the occasion at all. Didn’t look like a player playing his first competitive game. Handled the pressure well and also formed a good partnership with Calvin Bassey…..8/10
Calvin Bassey – Has grown into one of the leaders of the team in defence. Won everything thrown at him and most importantly avoided a yellow card which would have seen him miss the all important game on Tuesday…..8/10
Wilfred Ndidi – Didn’t have the best of display in the first half playing alongside Onyeka. Improved in the second half to help see out the win…..7/10
Frank Onyeka – Hooked at half time after failing to properly understand his role in the middle with Ndidi. Looked lost especially when on the ball…..5/10
Alex Iwobi – One of his best performance in the Super Eagles shirt with his ball distribution and also chance creation. Stood out in the middle for the team…..8/10
Moses Simon – There is a roar whenever he is on the ball. Brings the crowd to life and the team as well. Created four good chances and almost got himself on the score sheet with a well struck free kick. A very good performance…..8/10
Victor Osimhen – Started the game really well but got subbed off due to a knock on his ankle. He would have probably left with a goal if there was VAR to rule on his attempt which was ruled out for offside….. 5/10
Ademola Lookman – Didn’t look like a player who hasn’t played a game for two months. Worked really hard and created opportunities that was wasted. Repaid the huge decision by the coach to play him despite his lack of game time for a while…..8/10
Substitutes:
Cyriel Dessers – Not quite his best days. Perhaps found the pressure of replacing Osimhen very early into the game too much to handle. Got subbed off as they look to close the game…..5/10
Tolu Arokodare – Made the difference with his goal and overall added life to the attack. His back to goal play is very commanding and was quite a handful for the defence of Rwanda…..8/10
