The Super Eagles signed off on their qualification for the 2022 Nations Cup tournament on Tuesday with an easy 3-0 win over 143-FIFA-ranked Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
While some players further cemented their places in the team, others like Paul Onuachu pushed their cases to be a part of the team going forward.
Two games and two goals for Onuachu answered the sceptics on his deserving a place in the Super Eagles, maybe not as a starter.
His goal was a combination of skill and deadly accuracy- a man currently on top of his game. That goal made it 29 goals in 34 matches in all competitions in the 2020/21 football season.
Here are the ratings of the Eagles:
| Name | Mins. | Performance | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Uzoho | 90 | Uzoho came back into the Eagles starting 11 after 16 months-partly due to injury and the emergence of Maduka Okoye. Did not have a lot to do but when he was needed, he was quick and neat. | 2021-10-06 00:00:00 |
| Tyronne Ebuehi | 90 | Another returnee to the starting 11, Ebuehi showed a lot of composure and technical ability from the right flank-stopping and initiating attacks even though Chukwueze was playing another game entirely. | 6.5/10 |
| William Troost-Ekong © | 90 | Ekong can be rash at times but with Lesotho only able to mount sporadic attacks, he had a good day though he still had time to collect a yellow card. His ball distribution also needs working on. | 2021-10-06 00:00:00 |
| Leon Balogun | 90 | Balogun showed his intelligence and composure-bringing the ball out of defence easily and tackling efficiently. The Rangers’ defender, 32, continues to improve his all-round game. | 2021-10-07 00:00:00 |
| Zaidu Sanusi | 55 | It wasn’t as good a showing for the Porto left-back as he normally does for his club in Portugal. There was no chemistry between him and Iwobi. He went off injured in the second half for Jamilu Collins. | 2021-10-05 00:00:00 |
| Wilfred Ndidi | 90 | The Leicester man was all over the pitch, creating attacks and dousing fires and Lesotho struggled to find a way past him to create any sort of danger. | 2021-10-07 00:00:00 |
| Oghenekaro Etebo | 90 | After missing out against Benin, Etebo showed the keenness to prove he should be starting for the Eagles with a dominant display. His goal was a good answer to his sceptics on his continued relevance to the team. | 7.5/10 |
| Alex Iwobi | 90 | After returning a negative COVID-19 result, Iwobi was lively down the left flank and tried to trigger many Eagles’ attacks but they broke down on many occasions. | 2021-10-06 00:00:00 |
| Samuel Chukwueze | 74 | Chukwueze has regressed in the Super Eagles and though he is still exciting when he gets on the ball but the end product is sorely missing. In his 18th appearance, he could not add to his three goals. | 2021-10-05 00:00:00 |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | 90 | Iheanacho made the first goal and was all over the pitch, knitting together almost all of the Eagles’ offensive forays. Maybe he went searching for the ball too much and should have stayed closer to Osimhen. | 6.5/10 |
| Victor Osimhen | 74 | His sixth goal in only his 11th appearance for the team encapsulated all the hunger Osimhen has shown since moving up to the Super Eagles. He could have had more but he is still not fully fit after shoulder injury and COVID-19. | 2021-10-07 00:00:00 |
| Subs | |||
| Jamilu Collins | 35 | Collins came on and stabilised the left back spot. He was able to combine well with either Iwobi or Onyekuru and could have had an assist in his 35 minutes on the pitch. | 2021-10-06 00:00:00 |
| Paul Onuachu | 16 | Onuachu, in his 10th appearance for his country scored his second consecutive goal for the Eagles in four days to stamp his place in the Eagles’ squad going forward. He is sure not to be on the next waiting list when the team reassembles. | 6.5/10 |
| Henry Onyekuru | 16 | Onyekuru did not show any of that explosive pace he is known for. He tried to be patient and he linked well with Collins. He could have had a goal had he elected to shoot when he had a chance in the 81st minute. | 5.5/10 |
| Ahmed Musa | 4 | The captain was given the chance to play again in Lagos even though he is still club-less. | NA |
| Anayo Iwuala | 4 | Wore the No.10 jersey and tried to entertain the 8,000-strong crowd at the stadium who noticed and applauded him. The fledging Enyimba winger now has two national team games under his belt. | NA |
| Manager, Gernot Rohr | Rohr will always be a pragmatic manager-that is what he is and he will not be changing at 67. He put the right pegs in the right holes and made his substitution calls correctly though he is still looking for that combination that will make the Eagles a fearsome team to play against. | 2021-10-06 00:00:00 |
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