Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro has picked the areas he wants his team to improve on after the 1-2 loss to Algeria yesterday in an international friendly game.

The Portuguese coach watched on as his boys let slip a ninth minute lead to lose the game which was played in front of a capacity crowd in Algeria as part of the ceremony marking the opening of the pitch at Oran.

Asked on the lessons learnt from the two games played in Algeria, the coach whose team also drew 2-2 against the B team of Algeria said he is satisfied with the defence but the team still needs improvement in attack.

“We didn’t do well in attack at times, i think we can do better in that phase. We can improve our game generally. We did well defensively but we can do more offensively. Control the ball more, show more character and fight real hard”,

“We need to improve our organisation, put new dynamics. We need to work more . We have quality players but we need to improve in the area of organization”, he stated.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro says the Super Eagles of Nigeria didn’t lose yesterday’s game due to the blunder by goalkeeper Francis Uzoho rather it was down to poor officiating.

Uzoho was beaten by a long range effort from Youcef Atal which ended as the winner in the 2-1 for the Desert Foxes. The Omonia Nicosia goal tender was badly positioned and misjudged the the flight of the ball despite the length it travelled before getting to him.

Reacting to the blunder, Peseiro said the goal wasn’t the decisive moment of the game rather it was the decision of the referee not to award a goal which would have put Nigeria 2-0 up that decided the game. The goal was ruled out for offside but replays showed it should have stood.

“Everybody makes mistake. Myself and the players can make mistake. We scored a goal that was disallowed,”he said.

“The penalty I could accept. He shoot the ball before Frank caught him. We must accept. There was no offside when we scored. It should have been 2-0 to us at that point”.

He said the main aim of the team still remains winning the next Africa Cup of Nations and he feels they are on track but more friendly matches is needed to help the team perfect some areas of concern.

“I’m sad with the result but we did well. We want to win the next AFCON. First, we must qualify and play quality friendly matches and have more camping”, he explained.

“We want to have a a solid team. We have a good team and we want to improve. Everybody must work together. Myself, my staff and the NFF . We can play at the highest level.”

The senior national team of Algeria secured a comeback 2-1 win over Nigeria in an international friendly game played as part of the ceremony for the opening of the pitch at Oran.

Owngoalnigeria.com rates the players on parade for Nigeria in the game.

Francis Uzoho – He didn’t look commanding even before his error that decided the game in favor of Algeria. The only edge he probably has over Maduka Okoye is probably his ability with his legs….. 4/10

Ola Aina – Not news that he uses both feet very well and he now looks more assured in tackles. He was however not as commanding as he was in the previous games where he operated from the same position….. 5/10

Zaidu Sanusi – Has unbelievable energy to patrol the flank. The final ball was missing today and he was sloppy in possession unlike his usual self…… 5/10

Kevin Akpoguma – Solid on his return to the team. Showed very good understanding with Bassey even though they were playing together for the first time. He was unbeatable in aerial duels, solid in making blocks and also brought the ball out from the back with ease. Nice way to mark his return to the tea……. 6.5/10

Calvin Bassey – Started and ended the game with the same authority that is slowly becoming his trademark. Won all that was thrown at him. Worked nicely in tandem with Akpoguma. Unfortunate to be on the losing side…….7/10

Frank Onyeka – His energy level is unmatched but still needs to work on using the ball especially when he is under pressure. His clumsy tackle handed Algeria the spot kick which helped them to draw level…….. 5/10

Alex Iwobi – If there is any player who was very comfortable even when under pressure then it has to be Iwobi. Held the ball nicely and brought others into play effortlessly. Still need a partner to help make the team’s woes in the midfield a thing of the past……. 7.5/10

Moses Simon – Solid but not spectacular. Defended very well when under pressure and it probably played a role in why he wasn’t that influential in attack. Not one of his best displays in Nigeria’s shirt…… 6/10

Kelechi Iheanacho – Thrice had the chance to play in a better placed teammate with a simple pass but decided to go for glory. Wasteful in possession and didn’t quite understand his role hence couldn’t interpret it as expected……..5/10

Terem Moffi- Showed great awareness to score the goal. Wonderful first touch means his hold up play was on another level. Troubled Algeria for the time he was on the pitch……..6/10

Ademola Lookman – Lively in the first half, anonymous and wasteful in the second half. No surprises when he was subbed off. He has to step up his game if he wants to keep his spot in the team………. 4/10

The senior national team of Algeria secured a comeback 2-1 win over Nigeria in an international friendly game played as part of the ceremony for the opening of the pitch at Oran.

Nine minutes into the game, Nigeria took the lead by profiting from a defensive mix up after Algeria failed to clear a routine corner kick. Aissa Mandi failed to clear the bouncing ball and Terem Moffi slips in behind him to tap it in.

Mandi was again not at ease as he inexplicably passed the ball to Nigerian forward and a combination by Moffi and Ademola Lookman ended in the Atalanta man putting the ball in the net in the 29th minute. The goal was chalked off for offside but replays showed that the goal should have stood.

Three minutes before the half time break, Frank Onyeka’s late tackle on Ramy Bensebaini who was keen on reaching a rebound off an effort from Islam Slimani was penalized for a penalty. Riyad Mahrez stepped up to draw his team level going into the half time break.

Few minutes past the hour mark, Francis Uzoho punched a corner kick back into play and a lay off saw the ball reach Youcef Atal who let fly from range to beat the goalkeeper who was badly positioned and also misjudged the flight of what he should have saved with ease.

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro appears to have picked the players who will start for the senior national team of Nigeria when they take on Algeria today in an international friendly game.

Fresh from drawing 2-2 with the B team of Algeria with Alex Iwobi and Cyriel Dessers on target, the coach will make wholesome changes to the starting lineup as most of the players who started the last game are those on the fringes.

Today he will play most of his regulars from goalkeeper down to the striking department. Per what we exclusively gathered only three of the players who started against Algeria B look likely to keep their spot in the team.

We gathered that in goal Francis Uzoho who has started in four of the five games since Peseiro took over will return and take the place of Maduka Okoye. Ola Aina is among the three players who will keep their spot in the starting lineup from the last game.

He will be part of a back four which will have Kevin Akpoguma, Calvin Bassey as well as Zaidu Sanusi. Frank Onyeka will keep his spot but he will be playing with Alex Iwobi this time around and not Raphael Onyedika.

On the flanks, Moses Simon will occupy the left wing and he is also tipped to wear the captain armband. Ademola Lookman will keep his spot on the right despite serious competition from Savior Godwin who was very impressive as a substitute against Algeria B.

Peseiro will rely on the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi to lead the attack of the team in his favorite two man attack system. They will take the place of the duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Chidera Ejuke.

Starting lineup:

Francis Uzoho
Ola Aina
Zaidu Sanusi
Kevin Akpoguma
Calvin Bassey
Frank Onyeka
Alex Iwobi
Kelechi Iheanacho
Moses Simon
Ademola Lookman
Terem Moffi

The senior national team of Nigeria will today play the second of the two friendly games they will play against Algeria during the course of the international break later today.

Super Eagles drew 2-2 against Algeria B in the first friendly game on Friday. Today they will take on the main team at the newly built stadium in Oran with Nigeria keen on getting a win.

OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal that the game will be live on several online platforms including social media handles on Facebook. It includes that of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). It will also be on NFF Tv which is hosted on thenff.com.

For those in Algeria it will be live on Television Algerienne and also on their Facebook handle https://fb.watch/fONPLrEhdq/. BeIN sport will also broadcast the game which we gather will be available on popular streaming portal Hesgoal.com.

The game will be played by 8pm Nigerian time.

Former captain of the senior national team of Nigeria John Obi Mikel has announced his retirement from professional football bringing to an end a 20 year career which started at the age of 16.

Mikel who first announced himself as a 16 year old for the U17 team of Nigeria in 2003 made the announcement on his official Instagram handle and thanked everyone who played a part in shaping his career over the years.

He started his club career at Norwegian side Lyn Oslo before a protracted transfer saga which lasted over a year ended with his move to Chelsea despite claims by Manchester United that he has signed to represent them.

At Chelsea he spent ten and half seasons and won all that there is to win at club football before heading to Chinese side Tianjin TEDA.  He spent two years there before terminating his deal and secured a short term move to English Championship side Middlesbrough.

Turkey was his next base where he played for Bursaspor for a year. He returned to England and represented Stoke City for a year, they were keen to keep him for another season but he opted for Kuwait SC. He ended up leaving the Kuwaiti side without playing a single competitive game.

The coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro appears to have picked the players who will start for the senior national team of Nigeria when they take on Algeria today in an international friendly game.

Fresh from drawing 2-2 with the B team of Algeria with Alex Iwobi and Cyriel Dessers on target, the coach will make wholesome changes to the starting lineup as most of the players who started the last game are those on the fringes.

Today he will play most of his regulars from goalkeeper down to the striking department. Per what we exclusively gathered only three of the players who started against Algeria B look likely to keep their spot in the team.

We gathered that in goal Francis Uzoho who has started in four of the five games since Peseiro took over will return and take the place of Maduka Okoye. Ola Aina is among the three players who will keep their spot in the starting lineup from the last game.

He will be part of a back four which will have Kevin Akpoguma, Calvin Bassey as well as Zaidu Sanusi. Frank Onyeka will keep his spot but he will be playing with Alex Iwobi this time around and not Raphael Onyedika.

On the flanks, Moses Simon will occupy the left wing and he is also tipped to wear the captain armband. Ademola Lookman will keep his spot on the right but he is facing serious competition from Savior Godwin who was very impressive as a substitute against Algeria B.

Peseiro will rely on the duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi to lead the attack of the team in his favorite two man attack system. They will take the place of the duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Chidera Ejuke.

Starting lineup:

Francis Uzoho
Ola Aina
Zaidu Sanusi
Kevin Akpoguma
Calvin Bassey
Frank Onyeka
Alex Iwobi
Kelechi Iheanacho
Moses Simon
Ademola Lookman
Terem Moffi

The senior national team of Nigeria will later today take on the main team of Algeria in their second friendly game in the ongoing international break. They already drew 2-2 with the B team of the same country.

Algeria B took the lead before Nigeria levelled and later went 2-1 up before a late penalty by Algeria ensured they snatched something from the game. Nigeria made several changes in the second half of the game with scores at 0-1 after the half time break.

After the game, the coach of the B team of Algeria Madjid Bougherra picked two players in the Nigerian team who changed the game in favor of the Super Eagles in the second half of the 2-2 draw.

” We did very well against a strong Nigerian team. The quality was the difference in the end and everybody know they have it in their individual players. We saw how (Alex) Iwobi and (Moses) Simon changed the game. So you have to be proud of my team”, he said.

Heading into today’s game, the duo are expected to start with coach Jose Peseiro keen on getting something from the second game. He is expected to play his regular players from the start.

The senior national team of Nigeria drew 2-2 against Algeria B in their first friendly game in the country as part of their engagements in this international window. Today they will take on the main team of Algeria.

In the game against Algeria, Peseiro handed debut to the quartet of goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye, winger Savior Godwin, defender Ebube Duru and also defensive midfielder Raphael Onyedika Nwadike. All three players were given 45 minutes each by the Portuguese.

Assessing the players when they resumed training ahead of today’s game against Algeria, the coach expressed his happiness with the performance of Savior Godwin who came in for Ademola Lookman after the break.

Godwin troubled the defence of Algeria with his direct running at defenders using his pace and tricks on the right. So much that he was twice involved in moments that almost resulted to goal for Nigeria. He looked certain to keep his spot in the team.

” He (Peseiro) called him (Godwin)a top quality player base on how he acquitted himself. That’s a new players playing like he has been in the team for years and I think among the debutants, he is the only one who is sure of his spot in the team”, a member of the technical crew told OwnGoalNigeria.com.