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In the 22nd meeting between Nigeria and Algeria, the African champions showed Gernot Rohr that he has to draw a wider net to get quality alternatives for the Super Eagles. The absence of Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo and Victor Osimhen were acutely felt as the players drafted in just enumerated how important these players are to the present Eagles team.
These are the rankings of the 16 players that played a part in the 1-0 loss at the Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria.
| Name | Mins. | Performance | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maduka Okoye | 90 | This was a solid and assured performance but he could be partly blamed for the goal conceded though it has to be said that the defenders in front of him were careless | 6/10 |
| Tyronne Ebuehi | 67 | His first match for the Super Eagles in more than two years did not reveal anything and he started the match very tepidly as Said Benrahma had his number. He could not support the attack as he normally would. | 5/10 |
| William Troost-Ekong © | 90 | Was very shaky at the beginning of the match and was slack with his marking and passing throughout the encounter. His move from Serie A with Udinese to join Championship side Watford could impact his game negatively. | 5/10 |
| Leon Balogun | 90 | Was the better of the central defenders and he tried to spark attacks whilst carrying the ball from defence as the Algerians used the press very effectively. | 6/10 |
| Zaidu Sanusi | 90 | Sanusi will likely grow into the left back position in the months to come as he dealt quite comfortably with Algeria danger man, Riyad Mahrez, and he tried to join the attack at every opportunity. He had a shot on target. | 6.5/10 |
| Frank Onyeka | 45 | Maybe the occasion got to him as he was exposed by the fluid movement of the Algerians, especially in midfield. He may be given another chance but not yet a good substitute for either Wilfred Ndidi and Oghenekaro Etebo. | 3/10 |
| Semi Ajayi | 90 | Played out of position but he tried his best to move the ball. He did not succeed as the Algerians proved too swift and too technical for him. | 5/10 |
| Alex Iwobi | 85 | Ran all evening as he tried to spark something in attack though he was always out of sync with Onuachu. The heavy pitch could also have been a deterrent to his passes in the last third. | 6.5/10 |
| Samuel Kalu | 50 | Gradually grew into the match as the first half wore on as he started getting away from his marker and set his sight on goal. Unfortunate with the hamstring injury but not his best game for the Eagles. | 5.5/10 |
| Samuel Chukwueze | 75 | Very poor showing from the Villarreal forward. Got all his dribbling wrong and looks to have declined in quality since football came back. He needs a quick word in his ear not to let the great talent he possesses go to waste. | 4/10 |
| Paul Onuachu | 45 | He was given the unenviable task to replace Osimhen and he could not find his range. Whether with his back to goal or running in behind the Algerian defence, he looked out of sorts. | 4/10 |
| Substitutes | |||
| Kelechi Iheanacho | 23 | Never really got into the game though his last minute freekick could have earned his team a draw. | 5/10 |
| Moses Simon | 40 | Also, Simon could not get into the rhythm of the match fast enough and spent a lot of time working defensively. | 5/10 |
| Mikel Agu | 45 | Another midfield alternate who did not cover himself in glory. Slow on the ball and not progressive enough when he got the ball. | 4/10 |
| Ahmed Musa | 15 | The captain tried to inject pace into the attack but the Algerians were well drilled and cut off the spaces in which he would have thrived. | 5/10 |
| Kevin Akpoguma | 23 | The debutant tried to push forward but did not succeed as much as he would have loved. Benrahma was a pest that could not be slowed down. He needs another opportunity. | 5/10 |
| Samson Tijani | 5 | Not much to show | NA |
| Manager | |||
| Gernot Rohr | Rohr will say he was testing new players but his team selection was not clearly well-thought out with the deployment of central defender Semi Ajayi as a central midfielder. Many Nigerian fans will be expecting a better performance when he leads out this team against Tunisia next Tuesday or else… | 4/10 |
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