The defeat leaves the Super Eagles with much to do to escape Group D, particularly with Argentina to come in their final first-round match, although the nature of the performance may well be of greater concern to coach Gernot Rohr.

Positives

There were precious few for the Super Eagles, who failed to translate the excitement and energy that accompanied their arrival in Russia into a bright on-field showing.

At least they largely succeeded in holding Croatia at bay for the first half an hour, and they weren't emphatically outplayed by a side with much more technical class and experience.

Negatives

Where do we start!?

Set pieces, as evidenced for Croatia's opener, continue to be a point of weakness for Nigeria, who haven't heeded the lessons of the pre-tournament friendlies.

They were too lethargic, too reverent of their opponents, and this was a lifeless display that was wholly devoid of some of the vibrancy the Eagles demonstrated during qualification.

Manager rating (out of 10):

4 - Gernot Rohr didn't cover himself in glory in his first World Cup outing as a coach. He must take some of the blame for Nigeria's lethargy and uninspired showing.

The Croatian opener demonstrated that he hasn't solved the set-piece problems that were exposed during the pre-tournament friendlies, although his selection decisions before the match were largely vindicated, with Etebo impressing.

However, his decision to play Iwobi, Nigeria's most creative player, in a wide area and then replace him after the hour mark limited and then curtailed his influence.

Similarly, despite John Obi Mikel clearly tiring midway through the second half, Rohr waited until the 88th minute to withdraw his captain.

There was a lack of purpose and identity about the Eagles, and doubts remain about whether Rohr truly knows his best XI.

Player ratings (1-10, with 10 the best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating):

GK Francis Uzoho, 6 - Didn't appear overawed by the occasion despite being the second youngest goalkeeper to feature in a World Cup. His handling was good, he was brave in his decision-making, but his long kicking was ineffective.


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