Ukraine 2-2 Nigeria: Osimhen, Aribo show great promise

In the first ever senior meeting with Ukraine, the Super Eagles of Nigeria were held 2-2 at the Dnipro Arena in Dnipropetrovs’k.

The Ukrainians were grateful for the draw because of some profligate finishing from the Nigerians.

Gernot Rohr would have been pleased with the players newly capped; especially Glasgow Rangers midfielder, Ayodele Aribo, who scored three minutes into his debut.

However, Italian referee, Paolo Valerie, may not have covered himself in glory with his handling of the encounter.

Name	Minutes	Overview	Rating
Francis Uzoho	90	The 20-year-old showed he is ready to assume the No.1 jersey, which has been in flux for the last 12 months. Made three world-class saves and came out to snuff out danger very quickly. A settled club career in Cyprus should help cement his status.	8/10
Olaoluwa Aina	90	The Torino defender was very capable but showed his penchant to assume and also trust implicitly on his speed. Failed to cut out crosses that sowed danger. He will improve his defending in the Serie A.	February 11, 1900
Oluwasemilogo Ajayi	90	A surprise to play in central defence but showed calmness and neat touches in the box. His height was an advantage as he cut out many potentially dangerous crosses.	February 11, 1900
William Troost-Ekong ©	87	The captain on the night was accomplished in his tackles and his reading of the game though he was caught out of step for Ukraine’s equaliser.	7.0/10
Jamilu Collins	90	The Paderborn left-back showed his confidence and improvement on his 12th appearance for the Eagles. Did not join the attack as much as he would have liked because of the danger posed by Andriy Yarmolenko.	7.0/10
Oghenekaro Etebo	90	Stood out in the midfield with his command of the ball and the assuredness in his passing. He needs to communicate better with his midfield partners to make him more effective.	7.5/10
Ayodele Aribo	90	A debut to remember. His touches were neat and his foot work assured. Showed some fatigue towards the end of the match but a good addition to the Eagles. Showed capability offensively and defensively.	7.0/10
Alex Iwobi	70	The Eagles’ livewire and he should have capped a good performance with a goal. Always ready to receive and advance with the ball. Led the team in breaking from defence into the final third.	7.5/10
Samuel Chukwueze	82	The most dangerous Eagle and easily the most selfish in the final third. On three occasions, when he dribbled beyond his markers, he could have passed to better-placed players but chose to shoot. With more games, he would get better with his decisions.	7.0/10
Samuel Kalu	73	His mazy dribble led to the Eagles’ first goal and was dangerous all night although he needs to work on his final pass or shot. He has all the attributes to become better.	7.0/10
Victor Osimhen	90	Osimhen was alive all night, running the channels and giving the Eagles the outlet they needed to turn defence into attack in a split second. His first national team goal via a penalty was well merited and the good news is that he is just starting and he will definitely get better.	8.0/10
Substitutes
Anderson Esiti	20	Looked very heavy and ponderous. Did not actually get much time to influence the game whether defensively or offensively.	5.0/10
Moses Simon	17	Simon was not warmed enough to pose any danger to the Ukraine defence though he tried his best.	5.0/10
Emmanuel Denis	8	Came on for his debut and produced a good moment that could have been a debut goal and a winner. Looks a promising prospect for the team.	5.0/10
Chidozie Awaziem	7	Came on for the injured Ekong.	NA
Josh Maja	4	Made his debut.	NA
Manager
Gernot Rohr		Rohr is building another Eagles team and seems to have found the right materials to play the way he wants. Always in shape to defend and quick to counter.	7.0/10