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.

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro isn’t closing the door on Maduka Okoye retaining his spot later today when they take on Algeria in their second friendly game.

Nigeria drew the first game 2-2 against the B team of Algeria largely made up of players made up from League teams in Algeria. The game is to help them prepare for the CHAN championship which they will host next year.

Okoye’s howler gifted Algeria the opening goal and he was subbed off after the first half break as part of wholesome changes made by Peseiro, who was keen on rescuing something from the game.

Ahead of today’s game, Peseiro said one error isn’t enough to write him off and he could yet keep his spot in the starting lineup if the goalkeepers trainer insist on having him in goal.

” One mistake is not enough. It’s very normal for it to happen. It’s a team game and we conceded as a team not as individual. If the coach says to me I want Maduka in goal then I will play him. Mistakes are part of the game”, the Portuguese told OwnGoalNigeria.com ahead of today’s game.

The senior national team of Nigeria drew 2-2 against the B team of Algeria in one of the two friendly games the team will play during the ongoing international break. The next game will be against the main team of Algeria on Tuesday.

Algeria were using the game to prepare their B team solely made up of players from the local league for the upcoming CHAN championship, which they will host and for Nigeria it’s a warm up game ahead of the big test against the main team.

The coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro used the game to hand a chance to players who haven’t played under him or even for the team with the quartet of goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye, Ebube Duru, Raphael Onyedika and Savior Godwin making their international bow for Nigeria.

OwnGoalNigeria.com picks the five players who were at their expected level during the game.

Alex Iwobi – A class above every player on the pitch. His confidence is on another level and it showed in the way he took his goal. On current form he is easily the best player in the team.

Moses Simon – What a performance in defence and attack. Made a solid defensive clearance moments after his clever cut back teed up Cyriel Dessers for the Super Eagles second goal of the game.

Cyriel Dessers – His movement in the box is on another level. Creates space with ease and took the chance to put Nigeria ahead with the composure of a defined goal scorer.

Saviour Godwin – Brilliant performance that could see him keep his spot in the team. Operating from the right, he was a threat for the period of time he was on the pitch. His solo run crafted the opening in the build up to the first goal scored by Nigeria.

Kelechi Iheanacho – He unsettled the defence of Algeria from the moment he was introduced. Teed up Iwobi for thr lol equaliser. His pressing forced the Algerian goalkeeper into making two howlers which were sadly not converted. He was indeed lively.

The senior national team of Nigeria drew 2-2 against the B team of Algeria in one of the two friendly games the team will play during the ongoing international break. The next game will be against the main team of Algeria on Tuesday.

Algeria were using the game to prepare their B team solely made up of players from the local league for the upcoming CHAN championship, which they will host and for Nigeria it’s a warm up game ahead of the big test against the main team.

The coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro used the game to hand a chance to players who haven’t played under him or even for the team with the quartet of goalkeeper Adebayo Adeleye, Ebube Duru, Raphael Onyedika and Savior Godwin making their international bow for Nigeria.

OwnGoalNigeria.com picks the five players who weren’t at their expected level during the game.

Maduka Okoye – He didn’t cover himself in glory with the error that led to the first goal scored Algeria. Largely untested for the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch. He struggled to play from the back and showed no composure with the ball at his feet.

Taiwo Awoniyi – Didn’t look at home playing with an unfamiliar duo in Ademola Lookman and Chidera Ejuke. He was hardly involved for the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch as he didn’t get up to ten touches.

Chidera Ejuke – Another game to forget for the Hertha Berlin man in the colours of Nigeria. He lost possession easily and didn’t contribute in attack even when Nigeria dominated the early exchanges.

Ebube Duru – He can be excused on the grounds that it was his debut game. However in a game where he should be more adventurous. He was caught more times in his half despite the fact that he had zero pressure on him.

William Troost Ekong – Didn’t look the part in possession and had lots of it. It exposed his poor ball distribution. Something which became clearer when he was subbed off.