BascoVanVeli:
Highlights of the match. Had to put it on insta to avoid copyright wahala.


https://www.instagram.com/tv/CTjZUXino0K/?utm_medium=copy_link

Well done bro

Meliforme:


His end product?

Of all the wingers we have, only Onyekuru has a better end product.

That is the main problem with our attack. You cannot have an Osihmen or Onuachu as a 9 and still no crosses for them to contest.
All this dribbling and taking on defenders without putting a cross is zero output.
The wingers need to put in more crosses to increase our chances of scoring.
The only 2 successful crosses if i may use the phrase was from Shehu(Musa missed the chance) and Collins which led to the first goal. The rest were just running down the wings.

Ghanaians finally realizing the obvious

Dannyxy:
Please who knows Nff or Nigeria sport ministry, please beg them, we just need one perfect stadium, one we can call home, or a fortress, it's a disservice to the players and Nigerians, the poor standards of stadiums we play in, it's insulting and shows lack of regard.

We cannot call ourselves a footballing nation with all this abysmal standards of stadiums we have, it will be an injustice to proper systems for Nigeria to get to even quarter finals of the world cup, if we can't even have a world class stadium, I am not even going far to mention sport complex, you keep booking for hotels, which cost more and more, instead of having a proper sport complex with rooms and serenity for players to harmonise even off the pitch, you keep taking them from hotel to hotel, such instability doesn't deserve any success, it's just what it is.

I am really gutted, because this football can be a tool for rebuilding unity and nationalism amongst Nigerians, everyone forgets they are hausa, igbo or yoruba for 90mins, imagine Nigeria winning a world cup, imagine how less tense the political atmosphere would be for a while. It's a shame.

National stadium surulere used to be our fortress back in the days with teams like Algeria and Ivory coast chopping better cane there. We need that stadium back. It's also a stadium where where no mediocre player can never messed up twice cos the fans will never allow you be. The moment the SE left the national stadium that's when we had influx of half baked players in the eagles

Olulong:
Ghanaians finally realizing the obvious

We've been there and back.

Remember when all we had was the likes of home based Osaniwa, Egwuekwe etc?

We even had a certain Gambo miss a sitter vs Spain at the confed that year.

Note: This post is only for information purpose and does not in any way attempt to undermine the unity of the state of Nigeria.
Readers are solely responsible for their interpretations.

Dele Alampasu
Matthew Yakubu

Ola Aina
Jamiu Collins
Brian Idowu
Moses Odubajo
Leon Balogun
Semi Ajayi
Tosin Adarabioyo*

Joe Dele Aribo
Samson Tijani
Dele Bashiru
Ramon Azeez
Ovie Ejaria*

Ademola Lookman*
Taiwo Awoniyi
Victor Osimhen*
Tolu Arokodare



We have a very weak squad.
But can hold up to any team with a 4-3-3 starting line up like;

Alampasu

Ola Aina
Leon Balogun
Semi Ajayi
Jamiu Collins

Samson Tijani
Ovie Ejaria
Joe Aribo

Ademola Lookman
Victor Osimhen
Taiwo Awoniyi

Beloved3:


We've been there and back.

Remember when all we had was the likes of home based Osaniwa, Egwuekwe etc?

We even had a certain Gambo miss a sitter vs Spain at the confed that year.

Gambo the Gambler

Between him and yakubu I don't know who was more annoying

Icon4s:


Kingsley Michael is a very talented player. I never doubted his ability to deliver.

What is left now is for Rohr to prune down his crowd of defenders and give room for two more midfielders in the squad.

Yea..but baba na dinosaur. E no dey gree change, meanwhile for aribo fans..aribo shld watch out,Kingsley Michael is abt to nick his spot in dt national team space, when it comes to against African oppositions;,aribo has not been convincing enuf in terms of performance so far,abi na etebo go suffer am?only time will tell

Goke7:


National stadium surulere used to be our fortress back in the days with teams like Algeria and Ivory coast chopping better cane there. We need that stadium back. It's also a stadium where where no mediocre player can never messed up twice cos the fans will never allow you be. The moment the SE left the national stadium that's when we had influx of half baked players in the eagles

Stadium have nothing to do with drop in our quality or the influx of half baked players,
But we need a very good stadium to call our home like back in the days.

jargooflife912:
BascoVanVeli Boss is there any thread on the on going NNL Super 8?

I don't think so. I've been following on Facebook

elyte89:


Yea..but baba na dinosaur. E no dey gree change, meanwhile for aribo fans..aribo shld watch out,Kingsley Michael is abt to nick his spot in dt national team space, when it comes to against African oppositions;,aribo has not been convincing enuf in terms of performance so far,abi na etebo go suffer am?only time will tell

Is that no.10 jersey that is affecting him.
we expect too much from him.

the no.10 jersey comes with a huge responsibility ,and the fans will always want u to rise to that challenge n perform to their expectations whether u like or not.

kentebemoney:

Bros chill
If you be or done coach or dey close to a football team, u go understand wetin i dey talk.
You make ur judgement based on Uzoho u knw b4, how about the uzoho of now.
The first goal CVerde scored, he adjusted to cover the 2nd post(incase of a curler) but the goal scorer was smart (give it to the guy).

Uzoho conceded something similar to that against Ukraine

daveP:


Dunno who will help with stats for our last 4 SE GKs with respect to the defenders in front of them as well.


Uzoho
Akpeyi
Ezenwa
Maduka

I think it might be quite helpful.

But i wont lie, the league Uzoho is in ehn, its ruining his chances. If he can go to Israel and do a few good seasons like Enyeama, it just might restore order. For now, the trust is on Maduka.


I personally would prefer Uzoho. He's impressed me so far.

Only competitive matches, excluding friendlies.

BIGGEST TOURNAMENTS

Okoye: World Cup and AFCON Qualifiers
Uzoho: World Cup and AFCON Finales

Goals conceded per game

Okoye: 1.0 (5 games)
Uzoho: 0.875 (9 games)

MOST GOALS CONCEDED IN ANY MATCH

Okoye: 4 (Highest ranked opponent: Cape Verde)
Uzoho: 2 (Highest Ranked opponent: Argentina)

CLEAN SHEET PERCENTAGE

Okoye: 40%
Uzoho: 55.56%

SAVE PERCENTAGE WHEN FAILING TO KEEP CLEAN SHEET

Okoye: 16.67%
Uzoho: 50.0%

TEAM'S BIGGEST WIN WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: 2:0 vs Liberia
Uzoho: 4:0 vs Libya

TEAM'S BIGGEST LOSS WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: Unbeaten
Uzoho: 2:0 vs Croatia

Team's Win Percentage When in Goal

Okoye: 60%
Uzoho: 77.78%

Percentage of Times Team Scored 3+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20%
Uzoho: 55.56%

Percentage of Times Team Conceded 2+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20% (1/5 games)
Uzoho: 33.3% (3/9 games)

Points Per Game

Okoye: 1.80
Uzoho: 2.33

NOTE: Nigeria's last ever big win came against Lesotho, when Okoye was diagnosed with an injury and Uzoho stepped in. His last appearance.
Nigeria won 3-0.

The coach of the Super Eagles is a lunatic

TheLoneCitizen:


Only competitive matches, excluding friendlies.

BIGGEST TOURNAMENTS

Okoye: World Cup and AFCON Qualifiers
Uzoho: World Cup and AFCON Finales

Goals conceded per game

Okoye: 1.0 (5 games)
Uzoho: 0.875 (9 games)

MOST GOALS CONCEDED IN ANY MATCH

Okoye: 4 (Highest ranked opponent: Cape Verde)
Uzoho: 2 (Highest Ranked opponent: Argentina)

CLEAN SHEET PERCENTAGE

Okoye: 40%
Uzoho: 55.56%

SAVE PERCENTAGE WHEN FAILING TO KEEP CLEAN SHEET

Okoye: 16.67%
Uzoho: 50.0%

TEAM'S BIGGEST WIN WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: 2:0 vs Liberia
Uzoho: 4:0 vs Libya

TEAM'S BIGGEST LOSS WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: Unbeaten
Uzoho: 2:0 vs Argentina

Team's Win Percentage When in Goal

Okoye: 60%
Uzoho: 77.78%

Percentage of Times Team Scored 3+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20%
Uzoho: 55.56%

Percentage of Times Team Conceded 2+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20% (1/5 games)
Uzoho: 33.3% (3/9 games)

Points Per Game

Okoye: 1.80
Uzoho: 2.33

NOTE: Nigeria's last ever big win came against Lesotho, when Okoye was diagnosed with an injury and Uzoho stepped in. His last appearance.
Nigeria won 3-0.

Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa, is two games away from becoming a centurion with the national team, The PUNCH reports. Several media reports (The PUNCH not inclusive) reported that the 28- year-old winger would make his 100th appearance for the Eagles in their 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cape Verde at the Estádio Municipal Adérito Sena on Tuesday. The Nigerian Football Federation also stated in a statement titled: ‘Qatar 2022 Race: Confident Super Eagles land in Mindelo; Musa delighted with 100th cap prospect’ that the former CSKA Moscow striker would be making his 100th cap for the team. But according to FIFA, the Fatih Karagumruk winger has made 98 appearances for Nigeria and will only become the third Nigerian player to reach the centurion mark playing for the three-time African Champions after Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama if he features for the team in their double-header against the Central Africa Republic next month. Findings by our correspondent showed that Musa featured in two games for the national team, which were not recognised by world governing body FIFA. The games are the unofficial friendly against Togo in 2017, which the Eagles won 3-0 with Musa scoring twice at the Saint- Leu-la-Forêt stadium, in France and the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Algeria, which ended 1-1 in Constantine, but the result was overturned by FIFA and Algeria awarded a 3-0 win, after Nigeria fielded an ineligible player (Abdullahi Shehu) for the game. Checks by our correspondent on FIFA’s website also revealed that former captains of the team, Yobo and Enyeama both have 100 caps each as against the 101 widely reported. Musa made his debut for Nigeria against Madagascar in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier where he came on as a substitute for Mikel Obi. The game ended 2– 0 win. He also scored his first goal for the Eagles in Kenya.

Just look at the age

minfelix:


Just catching cruise bro I said if it happens to be last games...now to the remaining games, bro u see that Libya 6points), there is no way they will allow Egypt over take them again na so them go play am till qualifiers end.
Then to Ghana group, don't underestimate an SA group lead ooo those guys can frustrate Giants and remain at the top the group, Ghana has jus shot themselves on d foot by allowing SA beat them, because SA coached by Hugo broos(Afcon winning coach 2017) will lock up at that top spot.
As for morrocco it's a 50-50 chance with them and Guinea ooo

For Libya/Egypt,: Egypt only needs to get 4pts from their double header to have a 2 points lead with 2 matches left. They can even get all 6points and open up a 4pt lead.

For Ghana/SA , the SA I know will slip against Ethiopia, forget they beat Ghana. And Ghana will beat SA in the reverse fixture. Zimbabwe will also play a role.

For Morocco/Guinea/Guinea-Bissau: Morocco have tough nuts to crack but with the kind of quality they have I think they will come out tops. The postponed Guinea vs Morocco game could have given us a little direction for this group.

elyte89:


Yea..but baba na dinosaur. E no dey gree change, meanwhile for aribo fans..aribo shld watch out,Kingsley Michael is abt to nick his spot in dt national team space, when it comes to against African oppositions;,aribo has not been convincing enuf in terms of performance so far,abi na etebo go suffer am?only time will tell

Aribo and Etebor are more proven players and so are still ahead in the pecking order. But having Kingsley Michael in the mix gives us more options..

Missing out of the Olympics was really a great loss for Nigeria. It could have been an opportunity to assess players like Dele Bashiru ,David Okereke, Frank Onyeka, Michael Olise, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kingsley Michael, alhassan, Kelechi Nwakali and co.

Brief Post-Mortem of our huge win in Mindelo: Blue Sharks of Cape Verde 1-2 Super Eagles of Nigeria
Osimhen shows character upfront
Ejuke impresses so much. My MOTM
Kingsley: Smooth and Matured display
Jamilu stuns most.



First of all, really glad for the win. This win further vindicates and validates the fact that we indeed have quality depth in the Super Eagles.

A hugely depleted Nigerian side missing 8 major key stars/regulars + without the likes of Kalu, Ebuehi, Akpoguma and Chukwueze (all regulars or key players too) was still able to grind out a win away at the home of a side that downed Cameroon in the AfconQs earlier this year and who had several players (7 of them in Vozinha, Kenny Rocha Santos, Roberto Lopes, Steve Furtado, Vagner dias, Dylan Tavares-Goal scorer, and Vasco Lopes). who featured for Cape Verde in their widely celebrated friendly win over Brazil's U-23s (few months ago) featuring about 4 or so lads who later went on to bag Olympic Gold at Tokyo.

We had some very decent performers in Kingsley Michael, Ejuke, Osimhen (led well from the front), Awaziem, Bonke (will tell you what he did), Omeruo and ofcos Jamilu Collins (Surprise! SURPRISE!! FOR most)


1. Jamilu Collins:

You know, it's funny how Jamilu Collins is getting praised on here now. I thought several here agreed he was also an elite carpenter and terrible footballer.

I have always maintained the lad is Decent. Yes we needed an upgrade on him but the lad can still offer us enough going forward as a backup. He's also been in very good form for Paderborn so far this season. Lad is still a good one for us.

He showed his attacking side yesterday and forged fine chemistry with Chidera Ejuke allowing him to run in behind as Ejuke dragged defenders in-field opening him up for cross deliveries on some occasions.

Jamilu also did a great job of beating two men on a dribble run that saw him penetrate the left flank before playing that dangerous ball into the box that caused Chaos which Osimhen duly took advantage of.

Beautiful display from Collins. Solid defensively and very decent Attacking Showing.




2. Chidera Ejuke:

Ejuke was probably the only one trying to make things happen on the creative front with his moves, tricks and combos with Collins. Especially in the first half and before the first sub was made. What a way to make his first start in the GWG following up on his debut showing off the bench where he delivered a Cameo of 4-5 dribbles in one daring move in such a short time. Lol
His performance yesterday was more mature and didn't see him play to the gallery like he did on his debut (which was still eye-catching no doubt ).

Picked his moments nicely to dribble, to track back, to feed Collins on the overlap and to hit some precise strikes which seriosuly troubled Vozinha in Goal for CV

In truth, he makes a strong case to Rohr to consider an attacking trident of Ejuke-Osimhen-Chukwueze at some point in the near future.

Involved in most of our attacking transitions which came predominantly from the flanks with Little or nothing through the middle.
When we weren't using the flanks, we were using the CBs to hoof route-one passes into Osimhen's path.



3. Omeruo and Awaziem

Like I said in one of my many posts leading up to the game, Rohr may have certain faults but one thing he knows how to do pretty well is set up a defence. He did good picking a trusted partnership Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem. Probably their first time starting together in the Super Eagles but their partnership is no stranger to the coaching crew and keenly observant Naija fans having seen both pair each other in Leganes' defence in the 2019/20 La Liga Season.

Awaziem was very assured at LCB (taking over the mantle from Balogun) and did more than enough to stop the forays of the deadly Ryan Mendes and Garry Rodrigues. He and Collins really locked down that left side of the defence. Awaziem also showed decent distribution from the back.
Also should have won a penalty for that outrageous high kick to his head by a CV player (Mendes I think?). Too bad we don't use VAR in the CAF Zone WC Qualifiers.

Omeruo was also Solid for the most parts and although he did have two moments where he had to put the ball behind for late corners but one of them was due to Maduka Okoye's needless eagerness to come off his lines that quick especially when he could see he wasn't gonna get to the ball first and with Omeruo and one or two Cape Verdean attackers closing in on the ball. That 88th min wobble and timely last gasp header-interception also caused an own goal because of Okoye's poor positioning in that instance. Thanks goodness it wasn't to be.

In all, the Omeruo-Awaziem partnership did just enough to dominate the CV attackers. And combined, they made the most recoveries alongside Bonke at DM.


4. Shehu Abdullahi

Didn't put a foot wrong except for the one moment where we all were wondering where he was for Cape verde's Goal. Dylan Tavares had successfully evaded Moses Simon (closest marker to him) by timing his run-in behind to perfection which led to the goal.

Apart from this one moment, Shehu was Solid as well. He even got forward early in the game and created a beautiful chance with a low cross which Ahmed Musa should have done much better with.
For the rest of the game, Shehu had to stay pegged back in his RB role to keep the defensive shape since Jamilu was constantly bursting forward on the opposite flank when we had the ball.

A good shift from Shehu.



5. Moses Simon

Moses Simon didn't have his best of games but he also wasn't poor either. He did try a couple of crosses from the right but none yielded much fruit in the end. He provided an outlet for the team on the right but he had problems beating his markers for the most parts. His industry still cannot be faulted.

He could have done better picking out Dylan Tavares in that one moment which saw the Cape Verdean Fullback dash in behind Simon but he did good catching up with him eventually and doing enough to cover the crossing/passing angles.

Now this leads me to the next player to evaluate briefly because I feel this player should have done better after Simon did his best using his pace to recover grounds on the invasive Dylan Tavares....

This player is Maduka Okoye.

Have it in mind that the role was Shehu's but in his absence (due to him being badly positioned in that instance off the ball) Simon did try to cover for him and chased down Tavares.


6. Maduka Okoye

You know, I have personally played a lot of roles in football back in my Secondary school/Cadet academy and University days and Goalkeeper was one of them. I am naturally a striker (a left wing forward- inverted) but I also excelled at other roles except at CDM. But you see, I also understood how a goalkeeper thought and sometimes the coaches would play me in goal when our team went down by a man and needed someone to organise the backline from between the sticks. I was always the guy for that job especially only when we were leading. The coach would improvise if we needed goals and leave me upfront bringing in a goalie if we still had subs left. If not, it depended on the match situation and I would be in Goal... and we never lost with me in Goal. Never.

One of the things I picked up as a makeshift goalie was the presence of mind to always be aware of your near post when an opposition Winger approaches the goal from either flanks. You only position yourself slightly away from the near post when you see/spot the undeniable opportunity for the Winger to hit a cross or a pass across goal. But in the absence or near probability of such happenings especially with your defence blocking out passing lines for the opposition Winger, then you protect your near post first!!!!
This is what Okoye failed to do and Tavares buried with aplomb.

It must be noted that there was no way a good cross would have come out of that moment from Tavares. He saw his crossing/passing lines were blocked by Simon and the other recovering defenders then he took the only available option to him and viola! He scored.

I never played professional but this "protect-your-near-post" basic was understood strongly by me. Okoye failed in this regard and I hope he learns his lessons going forward.

Away from that, his overall confidence in Goal yesterday was questionable. Two other times again in the game after the goal, he got his positioning bad. One of which almost proved costly.

This is quite shocking for a lad who did very well in the Dutch Eredivisie last season. He is a very decent goalkeeping talent and would very likely become one of the best in the future but right now, I must admit that he hasn't convinced just yet in the GWG for the most parts especially in Competitive matches. Perhaps Rohr should shake him up a bit by giving Uzoho more games to reignite a competitive response of improvements from Okoye


You know, I understand the whole "playing in bigger league" talks as regards Okoye and Uzoho and I have their stats from last season and for the NT. Facts is Uzoho edges even now but yes Okoye plays in a better rated league.

But then, I ask myself.... Look at the best team in Africa today. Algeria. They have two good goalies in Rais Mbolhi (based in Saudi Arabia) and Alexandre Oukidja (starring for Metz in Ligue 1).
Guess who mans goal in the crucial games?

Djamel Belmadi still sticks to Mbolhi and despite the brilliant showings of Oukidja in France (this is not assumptive talks. He has truly been brilliant in France. Made TOTW couple of times), Belmadi, Algeria's manager, still perfers Mbolhi.

So it is not a question of who Plays in a higher league. A highly tactical coach won't be easily swayed by which league you play in especially when it comes to a role as sensitive and vital as the Goalkeeping role.

Rohr should get this right. He should stop pampering Okoye. We need the best reliables when the going gets tough out there in Cameroon, four months from now.

A word is enough. But this is to wishing both Okoye and Uzoho improved showings for their clubsides before the Afcon comes around.



7. Kingsley Michael:

A very decent showing from Kingsley Dogo Michael. His talents was never in doubt and I always knew he was going to shine in his own ways.
His ball playing and pressing were very good. His passing was simple and precise. His workrate off the ball was highly commendable.

Tackled when needed, pressed constantly, helped Bonke out to keep control of the middle game and ensured we were hard to penetrate through the middle.

Did advance the ball a few times as well but there was Zero hint of creativity when on the ball. Didn't deliver or pick out any noteworthy lines-breaking pass either on the run or from deep.

But seeing as he wasn't expected to do everything plus this was his just his first game in the GWG and from the start too in an away game against a giant killing opponent, then Kingsley indeed covered himself in glory and I hope he gets even more games at Bologna in Serie A establishing himself as a valuable squad member of the group and even possibly starter so as to keep adding depth value to the Super Eagles.

A lad who only made his 2nd serie A apperance in the last 3-4 years in Italy vs Atalanta just recently and only got a handful of mins last season in Serie B, was still able to produce such a matured display in the middle of the pack against seasoned giant killing opponents. How much more if he gets more mins for Bologna this season. Kingsley is a very talented player and disciplined performer. A good addition to the team.

Really cannot stop imagining what other midfield prospects/lads who are just as talented or even more talented than Kingsley and have good gametime experience under their belts will produce when finally given the chance.

Kingsley's display on his very first start and first appearance in the GWG is testament to the depth Rohr is yet to exploit even to half-full levels.
And also testament to not judging players alone on gametime for clubs. Quality is Quality. But yes, gametime is important.




8. Innocent Bonke:

A lot of folks here didn't feel this guy because of his average (some would say, Below average) ball control. He wasn't assured on the ball like Kingsley and his passing was at times questionable, but there is one thing Bonke did so very well which gave us a fighting chance in yesterday's game.

Bonke was our undisputed Midfield Destroyer. He hacked down and tackled and intercepted anything Cape verdean.
He had one major mission: Fight for every ball and recover as much as you can. Give them not a breathing space.... and that he did admirably even though his ball control needs work.
Bonke did the dirty work while Kingsley tidied up while also getting into some dirty bits in the middle.

In all, a commendable showing from Bonke. But he is still very much behind Ndidi and Onyeka.



9. Victor Osimhen:

My Man. The Warrior-Athlete... Our Super Striker. The Monster Machine himself. Didn't score against Liberia but saved his 7th International goal for this moment. A goal that brought us back into the game and made us see a chance for a win.

He didn't get much service but he knew what he was up against. He knew he won't get as many chances so he had to be vigilant to pounce when needed, shoot when needed and drift wife when needed. This he did and I was satisfied with his industry upfront even in the absence of his usual supporting cast.

He did find a new supporting cast though in Ejuke. Both of them causing havoc upfront. Ejuke using osimhen as decoy to make room and get some shots off that really troubled Vozinha. Osimhen even applauded one of such efforts.

Osimhen showed true leadership upfront and battled for every ball, chasing down even lost causes and that was how he was able to be positioned at rhe right place, at the right time to pounce on a defensive error and bag for the GWG.
It is one of the hallmarks of great Strikers. The ability to poach in the box. To pop up when needed in positions to drag your team out of a defeatist hole when the going gets tough like it got yesterday in that moment we conceeded.




10. Ahmed Musa:

Didn't and wasn't even expected by anyone who have watched him for the last 11 years to do a good job as a #10. No creativity at all but he did try fall back a couple of times to help the midfield win balls and recover. Played more as an SS and tried to press high up a couple times but even his SS role interpretation wasn't that effective.
Provided an extra body in the middle when needed but that didn't help at all too with transition between Midfield and attack. Our best transitions into attack came from the flanks.

Musa used his pace at times when he drifted wide but nothing of note came out of it.

Musa had a quiet game by his standards and duly bagged his much celebrated "100th cap" (which is actually not yet official in FIFA records because one of the 2 games taken into account for Musa's 100, the Togo game back in 2017 still stands as Unofficial). Rightly subbed off but we all know he should have been subbed out earlier.

A softly okay shift from the captain.







The subs:

Onyekuru, Moffi, Onuachu and Zaidu.

Loved what I saw from both Onyekuru and Moffi especially. Moffi didn't get much on the ball but it was his pressing on CV MF, Kenny Rocha Santos that led to the miscalculated eagerly hit pass that beat the badly positioned, CV keeper, Vozinha.
Moffi and Onyekuru pressed on that right side together with Moffi keenly advancing on Rocha Santos which caused the lad to turn tail and hoof it into his goal.

Moffi's touches were also exemplary and he showed fine strength in a few duels keeping the CV defenders honest alongside Onuachu (on his entrance).

Onyekuru was the most daring and lively of the subs though. He could have had a goal within moments of his entrance had he picked out his spot better before hitting one straight into Vozinha's embrace.


How the chance came about?
Osimhen on a dashing forward run down the right side aimed for a pass to Moffi who was running in behind on the left side of the opposition box which deflected into the path of Onyekuru for a chance at goal.

Onuachu came on for Osimhen and did just okay. Kept up the pressing even with little encounter with the ball.

Zaidu came in too for Ejuke just to close shop on the left side. Did enough providing that extra fresh leg off the bench.

TheLoneCitizen:


Only competitive matches, excluding friendlies.

BIGGEST TOURNAMENTS

Okoye: World Cup and AFCON Qualifiers
Uzoho: World Cup and AFCON Finales

Goals conceded per game

Okoye: 1.0 (5 games)
Uzoho: 0.875 (9 games)

MOST GOALS CONCEDED IN ANY MATCH

Okoye: 4 (Highest ranked opponent: Cape Verde)
Uzoho: 2 (Highest Ranked opponent: Argentina)

CLEAN SHEET PERCENTAGE

Okoye: 40%
Uzoho: 55.56%

SAVE PERCENTAGE WHEN FAILING TO KEEP CLEAN SHEET

Okoye: 16.67%
Uzoho: 50.0%

TEAM'S BIGGEST WIN WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: 2:0 vs Liberia
Uzoho: 4:0 vs Libya

TEAM'S BIGGEST LOSS WHEN IN GOAL

Okoye: Unbeaten
Uzoho: 2:0 vs Croatia

Team's Win Percentage When in Goal

Okoye: 60%
Uzoho: 77.78%

Percentage of Times Team Scored 3+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20%
Uzoho: 55.56%

Percentage of Times Team Conceded 2+ When in Goal

Okoye: 20% (1/5 games)
Uzoho: 33.3% (3/9 games)

Points Per Game

Okoye: 1.80
Uzoho: 2.33

NOTE: Nigeria's last ever big win came against Lesotho, when Okoye was diagnosed with an injury and Uzoho stepped in. His last appearance.
Nigeria won 3-0.

Some people will blindly ignore this stat just to push an agenda home!!!

SMH for Rohr...

elyte89:



Baba just dey do ika for pitch.. I am sure DTS aw d thesupernerd plays


Meanwhile DT was a penalty o

Hahahahahahahahaa.... Papa Haaland. Take ya time.

If I catch you for pitch, you no go know the difference between your knees and your elbows... No try me ooo. No hypes here, I had the potential but chose academics ahead of Football.

No just tempt me back to show you strong thing for pitch... lol

I recall making this post on May 14 earlier this year.

The Uzoho vs Okoye debate continues.

TheSuperNerd:
Uzoho vs Okoye: A Case of two Nigerian quality young goalies (20/21)

Note: Have had these for a while. These are just the latest updates as they keep coming week after week.

With one game to go in the Eredivisie and with two more games to go in Cyprus' topflight, I present to you the Summarised Stats Story of both goalies so far in the 2020/21 season.


Francis Uzoho's stats in all Competitions (20/21):

▶️20 games played, all starts (15 league games; 5 cup games)
▶️17 goals conceeded.
⏺️ 6 clean sheets.
▶️11 wins
❌4 losses
▶️5 draws


2. Maduka Okoye's stats in all competitions (20/21):

▶️28 games played, all starts (27 league games, 1 cup game)
▶️35 goals conceeded.
⏺️76 saves made.
⏺️10 clean sheets.
▶️12 wins
❌10 losses
▶️6 draws (Cup game ended in a draw A.E.T. before losing on Penalties so it's counted as a draw for the sake of regulaion timing).





Extra: National team stats so far

▶️Francis Uzoho:
▶️17 games (16 starts)
▶️18 goals conceeded
▶️ 7 Clean sheets
▶️9 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses.


▶️Maduka Okoye:
▶️6 games (5 starts)
▶️7 goals conceeded
▶️2 clean sheets.
▶️1 win, 4 draws, 1 loss.

TheSuperNerd:


Hahahahahahahahaa.... Papa Haaland. Take ya time.

If I catch you for pitch, you no go know the difference between your knees and your elbows... No try me ooo. No hypes here, I had the potential but chose academics ahead of Football.

No just tempt me back to show you strong thing for pitch... lol

But we have had Socrates, Olofinjana, Peter Rufai, Adokiye, Owolabi, Odegbami and Chiellini combine both now! Even our Ndidi dey combine both at the moment.

TheSuperNerd:
Brief Post-Mortem of our huge win in Mindelo: Blue Sharks of Cape Verde 1-2 Super Eagles of Nigeria
Osimhen shows character upfront
Ejuke impresses so much. My MOTM
Kingsley: Smooth and Matured display
Jamilu stuns most.



First of all, really glad for the win. This win further vindicates and validates the fact that we indeed have quality depth in the Super Eagles.

A hugely depleted Nigerian side missing 8 major key stars/regulars + without the likes of Kalu, Ebuehi, Akpoguma and Chukwueze (all regulars or key players too) was still able to grind out a win away at the home of a side that downed Cameroon in the AfconQs earlier this year and who had a several players [i](7 of them in Vozinha, Kenny Rocha Santos, Roberto Lopes, Steve Furtado, Vagner dias, Dylan Tavares-Goal scorer, and Vasco Lopes) who featured for Cape Verde in their widely celebrated friendly win over Brazil's U-23s (few months ago) featuring about 4 or so lads who later went on to bag Olympic Gold at Tokyo.[/i]

We had some very decent performers in Kingsley Michael, Ejuke, Osimhen (led well from the front), Awaziem, Bonke (will tell you what he did), Omeruo and ofcos Jamilu Collins (Surprise! SURPRISE!! FOR most)


1. Jamilu Collins:

You know, it's funny how Jamilu Collins is getting praised on here now. I thought several here agreed he was also an elite carpenter and terrible footballer.

I have always maintained the lad is Decent. Yes we needed an upgrade on him but the lad can still offer us enough going forward as a backup. He's also been in very good form for Paderborn so far this season. Lad is still a good one for us.

He showed his attacking side yesterday and forged fine chemistry with Chidera Ejuke allowing him to run in behind as Ejuke dragged defenders in-field opening him up for cross deliveries on some occasions.

Jamilu also did a great job of beating two men on a dribble run that saw him penetrate the left flank before playing that dangerous ball into the box that caused Chaos which Osimhen duly took advantage of.

Beautiful display from Collins. Solid defensively and very decent Attacking Showing.




2. Chidera Ejuke:

Ejuke was probably the only one trying to make things happen on the creative front with his moves, tricks and combos with Collins. Especially in the first half and before the first sub was made. What a way to make his first start in the GWG following up on his debut showing off the bench where he delivered a Cameo of 4-5 dribbles in one daring move in such a short time. Lol
His performance yesterday was more mature and didn't see him play to the gallery like he did on his debut (which was still eye-catching no doubt ).

Picked his moments nicely to dribble, to track back, to feed Collins on the overlap and to hit some precise strikes which seriosuly troubled Vozinha in Goal for CV

In truth, he makes a strong case to Rohr to consider an attacking trident of Ejuke-Osimhen-Chukwueze at some point in the near future.

Involved in most of our attacking transitions which came predominantly from the flanks with Little or nothing through the middle.
When we weren't using the flanks, we were using the CBs to hoof route-one passes into Osimhen's path.



3. Omeruo and Awaziem

Like I said in one of my many posts leading up to the game, Rohr may have certain faults but one thing he knows how to do pretty well is set up a defence. He did good picking a trusted partnership Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem. Probably their first time starting together in the Super Eagles but their partnership is no stranger to the coaching crew and keenly observant Naija fans having seen both pair each other in Leganes' defence in the 2019/20 La Liga Season.

Awaziem was very assured at LCB (taking over the mantle from Balogun) and did more than enough to stop the forays of the deadly Ryan Mendes and Garry Rodrigues. He and Collins really locked down that left side of the defence. Awaziem also showed decent distribution from the back.
Also should have won a penalty for that outrageous high kick to his head by a CV player (Mendes I think?). Too bad we don't use VAR in the CAF Zone WC Qualifiers.

Omeruo was also Solid for the most parts and although he did have two moments where he had to put the ball behind for late corners but one of them was due to Maduka Okoye's needless eagerness to come off his lines that quick especially when he could see he wasn't gonna get to the ball first and with Omeruo and one or two Cape Verdean attackers closing in on the ball. That 88th min wobble and timely last gasp header-interception also caused an own goal because of Okoye's poor positioning in that instance. Thanks goodness it wasn't to be.

In all, the Omeruo-Awaziem partnership did just enough to dominate the CV attackers. And combined, they made the most recoveries alongside Bonke at DM.


4. Shehu Abdullahi

Didn't put a foot wrong except for the one moment where we all were wondering where he was for Cape verde's Goal. Dylan Tavares had successfully evaded Moses Simon (closest marker to him) by timing his run-in behind to perfection which led to the goal.

Apart from this one moment, Shehu was Solid as well. He even got forward early in the game and created a beautiful chance with a low cross which Ahmed Musa should have done much better with.
For the rest of the game, Shehu had to stay pegged back in his RB role to keep the defensive shape since Jamilu was constantly bursting forward on the opposite flank when we had the ball.

A good shift from Shehu.



5. Moses Simon

Moses Simon didn't have his best of games but he also wasn't poor either. He did try a couple of crosses from the right but none yielded much fruit in the end. He provided an outlet for the team on the right but he had problems beating his markers for the most parts. His industry still cannot be faulted.

He could have done better picking out Dylan Tavares in that one moment which saw the Cape Verdean Fullback dash in behind Simon but he did good catching up with him eventually and doing enough to cover the crossing/passing angles.

Now this leads me to the next player to evaluate briefly because I feel this player should have done better after Simon did his best using his pace to recover grounds on the invasive Dylan Tavares....

This player is Maduka Okoye.

Have it in mind that the role was Shehu's but in his absence (due to him being badly positioned in that instance off the ball) Simon did try to cover for him and chased down Tavares.


6. Maduka Okoye

You know, I have personally played a lot of roles in football back in my Secondary school/Cadet academy and University days and Goalkeeper was one of them. I am naturally a striker (a left wing forward- inverted) but I also excelled at other roles except at CDM. But you see, I also understood how a goalkeeper thought and sometimes the coaches would play me with goal when our team went down by a man and needed someone to organise the backline from between the sticks. I was always the guy for that job especially only when we were leading. The coach would improvise if we needed goals and leave me upfront bringing in a goalie if we still had subs left. If not, it depended on the match situation and I would be in Goal... and we never lost with me in Goal. Never.

One of the things I picked up as a makeshift goalie was the presence of mind to always be aware of your near post when an opposition Winger approaches the goal from either flanks. You only position yourself slightly away from the near post when you see/spot the undeniable opportunity for the Winger to hit a cross or a pass across goal. But in the absence or near probability of such happenings especially with your defence blocking out passing lines for the opposition Winger, then you protect your near post first!!!!
This is what Okoye failed to do and Tavares buried with aplomb.

It must be noted that there was no way a good cross would have come out of that moment from Tavares. He saw his crossing/passing lines were blocked by Simon and the other recovering defenders then he took the only available option to him and viola! He scored.

I never played professional but this "protect-your-near-post" basic was understood strongly by me. Okoye failed in this regard and I hope he learns his lessons going forward.

Away from that, his overall confidence in Goal yesterday was questionable. Two other times again in the game after the goal, he got his positioning bad. One of which almost proved costly.

This is quite shocking for a lad who did very well in the Dutch Eredivisie last season. He is a very decent goalkeeping talent and would very likely become one of the best in the future but right now, I must admit that he hasn't convinced just yet in the GWG for the most parts especially in Competitive matches. Perhaps Rohr should shake him up a bit by giving Uzoho more games to reignite a competitive response of improvements from Okoye


You know, I understand the whole "playing in bigger league" talks as regards Okoye and Uzoho and I have their stats from last season and for the NT. Facts is Uzoho edges even now but yes Okoye plays in a better rated league.

But then, I ask myself.... Look at the best team in Afrifa today. Algeria. They have two good goalies in Rais Mbolhi (based in Saudi Arabia) and Alexandre Oukidja (starring for Metz in Ligue 1).
Guess who mans goal in the crucial games?

Djamel Belmadi still sticks to Mbolhi and despite the brilliant showings of Oukidja in France (this is not assumptive talks. He has truly been brilliant in France. Made TOTW couple of times) Belmadi, Algeria's manager, still perfers Mbolhi.

So it is not a question of who Plays in a higher league. A highly tactical coach won't be easily swayed by which league you play in especially when it comes to a role as sensitive and vital as the Goalkeeping role.

Rohr should get this right. He should stop pampering Okoye. We need the best reliables when the going gets tough out there in Cameroon, four months from now.

A word is enough. But this is to wishing both Okoye and Uzoho improved showings for their clubsides before the Afcon comes around.



7. Kingsley Michael:

A very decent showing from Kingsley Dogo Michael. His talents was never in doubt and I always knew he was going to shine in his own ways.
His ball playing and pressing were very good. His passing was simple and precise. His workrate off the ball was highly commendable.

Tackled when needed, pressed constantly, helped Bonke out to keep control of the middle game and ensured we were hard to penetrate through the middle.

Did advance the ball a few times as well but there was Zero hint of creativity when on the ball. Didn't deliver or pick out any noteworthy lines-breaking pass either on the run or from deep.

But seeing as he wasn't expected to do everything plus this was his just his first game in the GWG and from the start too in an away game against a giant killing opponent, then Kingsley indeed covered himself in glory and I hope he gets even more games at Bologna in Serie A establishing himself as a valuable squad member of the group and even possibly starter so as to keep adding depth value to the Super Eagles.

A lad who only made his 2nd serie A apperance in the last 3-4 years in Italy vs Atalanta just recently and only got a handful of mins last season in Serie B, was still able to produce such a matured display in the middle of the pack against seasoned giant killing opponents. How much more if he gets more mins for Bologna this season. Kingsley is a very talented player and disciplined performer. A good addition to the team.

Really cannot stop imagining what other midfield prospects/lads who are just as talented or even more talented than Kingsley and have good gametime experience under their belts will produce when finally given the chance.

Kingsley's display on his very first start and first appearance in the GWG is testament to the depth Rohr is yet to exploit even to half-full levels.
And also testament to not judging players alone on gametime for clubs. Quality is Quality. But yes, gametime is important.




8. Innocent Bonke:

A lot of folks here didn't feel this guy because of his average (some would say, Below average) ball control. He wasn't assured on the ball like Kingsley and his passing was at times questionable, but there is one thing Bonke did so very well which gave us a fighting chance in yesterday's game.

Bonke was our undisputed Midfield Destroyer. He hacked down and tackled and intercepted anything Cape verdean.
He had one major mission: Fight for every ball and recover as much as you can. Give them not a breathing space.... and that he did admirably even though his ball control needs work.
Bonke did the dirty work while Kingsley tidied up while also getting into some dirty bits in the middle.

In all, a commendable showing from Bonke. But he is still very much behind Ndidi and Onyeka.



9. Victor Osimhen:

My Man. The Warrior-Athlete... Our Super Striker. The Monster Machine himself. Didn't score against Liberia but saved his 7th International goal for this moment. A goal that brought us back into the game and made us see a chance for a win.

He didn't get much service but he knew what he was up against. He knew he won't get as many chances so he had to be vigilant to pounce when needed, shoot when needed and drift wife when needed. This he did and I was satisfied with his industry upfront even in the absence of his usual supporting cast.

He did find a new supporting cast though in Ejuke. Both of them causing havoc upfront. Ejuke using osimhen as decoy to make room and get some shots off that really troubled Vozinha. Osimhen even applauded one of such efforts.

Osimhen showed true leadership upfront and battled for every ball, chasing down even lost causes and that was how he was able to be positioned at rhe right place, at the right time to pounce on a defensive error and bag for the GWG.
It is one of the hallmarks of great Strikers. The ability to poach in the box. To pop up when needed in positions to drag your team out of a defeatist hole when the going gets tough like it got yesterday in that moment we conceeded.




10. Ahmed Musa:

Didn't and wasn't even expected by anyone who have watched him for the last 11 years to do a good job at a #10. No creativity at all but he did try fall back a couple of times to help the midfield win balls and recover. Provided an extra body in the middle when needed but that didn't help at all too with transition between Midfield and attack. Our best transitions into attack came from the flanks.

Musa used his pace at times when he drifted wide but nothing of note came out of it.

Musa had a quiet game by his standards and duly bagged his much celebrated "100th cap" (which is actually not yet official in FIFA records because one of the 2 games taken into account for Musa's 100, the Togo game back in 2017 still stands as Unofficial). Rightly subbed off but we all know he should have been subbed out earlier.

A softly okay shift from the captain.







The subs:

Onyekuru, Moffi, Onuachu and Zaidu.

Loved what I saw from both Onyekuru and Moffi especially. Moffi didn't get much on the ball but it was his pressing on CV MF, Kenny Rocha Santos that led to the miscalculated eagerly hit pass that beat the badly positioned, CV keeper, Vozinha.
Moffi and Onyekuru pressed on that right side together with Moffi keenly advancing on Rocha Santos which caused the lad to turn tail and hoof it into his goal.

Moffi's touches were also exemplary and he showed fine strength in a few duels keeping the CV defenders honest alongside Onuachu (on his entrance).

Onyekuru was the most daring and lively of the subs though. He could have had a goal within moments of his entrance had he picked out his spot better before hitting one straight into Vozinha's embrace.


How the chance came about?
Osimhen on a dashing forward run down the right side aimed for a pass to Moffi who was running in behind on the left side of the opposition box which deflected into the path of Onyekuru for a chance at goal.

Onuachu came on for Osimhen and did just okay. Kept up the pressing even with little encounter with the ball.

Zaidu came in too for Ejuke just to close shop on the left side. Did enough providing that extra fresh leg off the bench.

I like how you took time to analysis the Uzoho-Maduka situation... Rohr should better get serious and stop making Maduka too comfortable in the role... Players need competition to get better... It took Uzoho just 45 minutes against Argentina to show us he could challenge Akpeyi for that no.1 shirt...

True. But in my case, I had a higher calling in the ICT and Health Sciences world. My talents and high yield potentials in both worlds spotted from an age younger than when I even began kicking the round leather.
I was bound to be super occupied with my central niche so I eventually dropped football (in terms of playing) but stuck to it in terms of following. And so far, so good, of two good choices, the better choice was made.

It is well, My good man.

AndSunGorilla:

But we have had Socrates, Olofinjana, Peter Rufai, Adokiye, Owolabi, Odegbami and Chiellini combine both now! Even our Ndidi dey combine both at the moment.

Excellent analysis.

TheSuperNerd:
Brief Post-Mortem of our huge win in Mindelo: Blue Sharks of Cape Verde 1-2 Super Eagles of Nigeria
Osimhen shows character upfront
Ejuke impresses so much. My MOTM
Kingsley: Smooth and Matured display
Jamilu stuns most.



First of all, really glad for the win. This win further vindicates and validates the fact that we indeed have quality depth in the Super Eagles.

A hugely depleted Nigerian side missing 8 major key stars/regulars + without the likes of Kalu, Ebuehi, Akpoguma and Chukwueze (all regulars or key players too) was still able to grind out a win away at the home of a side that downed Cameroon in the AfconQs earlier this year and who had a several players [i](7 of them in Vozinha, Kenny Rocha Santos, Roberto Lopes, Steve Furtado, Vagner dias, Dylan Tavares-Goal scorer, and Vasco Lopes) who featured for Cape Verde in their widely celebrated friendly win over Brazil's U-23s (few months ago) featuring about 4 or so lads who later went on to bag Olympic Gold at Tokyo.[/i]

We had some very decent performers in Kingsley Michael, Ejuke, Osimhen (led well from the front), Awaziem, Bonke (will tell you what he did), Omeruo and ofcos Jamilu Collins (Surprise! SURPRISE!! FOR most)


1. Jamilu Collins:

You know, it's funny how Jamilu Collins is getting praised on here now. I thought several here agreed he was also an elite carpenter and terrible footballer.

I have always maintained the lad is Decent. Yes we needed an upgrade on him but the lad can still offer us enough going forward as a backup. He's also been in very good form for Paderborn so far this season. Lad is still a good one for us.

He showed his attacking side yesterday and forged fine chemistry with Chidera Ejuke allowing him to run in behind as Ejuke dragged defenders in-field opening him up for cross deliveries on some occasions.

Jamilu also did a great job of beating two men on a dribble run that saw him penetrate the left flank before playing that dangerous ball into the box that caused Chaos which Osimhen duly took advantage of.

Beautiful display from Collins. Solid defensively and very decent Attacking Showing.




2. Chidera Ejuke:

Ejuke was probably the only one trying to make things happen on the creative front with his moves, tricks and combos with Collins. Especially in the first half and before the first sub was made. What a way to make his first start in the GWG following up on his debut showing off the bench where he delivered a Cameo of 4-5 dribbles in one daring move in such a short time. Lol
His performance yesterday was more mature and didn't see him play to the gallery like he did on his debut (which was still eye-catching no doubt ).

Picked his moments nicely to dribble, to track back, to feed Collins on the overlap and to hit some precise strikes which seriosuly troubled Vozinha in Goal for CV

In truth, he makes a strong case to Rohr to consider an attacking trident of Ejuke-Osimhen-Chukwueze at some point in the near future.

Involved in most of our attacking transitions which came predominantly from the flanks with Little or nothing through the middle.
When we weren't using the flanks, we were using the CBs to hoof route-one passes into Osimhen's path.



3. Omeruo and Awaziem

Like I said in one of my many posts leading up to the game, Rohr may have certain faults but one thing he knows how to do pretty well is set up a defence. He did good picking a trusted partnership Kenneth Omeruo and Chidozie Awaziem. Probably their first time starting together in the Super Eagles but their partnership is no stranger to the coaching crew and keenly observant Naija fans having seen both pair each other in Leganes' defence in the 2019/20 La Liga Season.

Awaziem was very assured at LCB (taking over the mantle from Balogun) and did more than enough to stop the forays of the deadly Ryan Mendes and Garry Rodrigues. He and Collins really locked down that left side of the defence. Awaziem also showed decent distribution from the back.
Also should have won a penalty for that outrageous high kick to his head by a CV player (Mendes I think?). Too bad we don't use VAR in the CAF Zone WC Qualifiers.

Omeruo was also Solid for the most parts and although he did have two moments where he had to put the ball behind for late corners but one of them was due to Maduka Okoye's needless eagerness to come off his lines that quick especially when he could see he wasn't gonna get to the ball first and with Omeruo and one or two Cape Verdean attackers closing in on the ball. That 88th min wobble and timely last gasp header-interception also caused an own goal because of Okoye's poor positioning in that instance. Thanks goodness it wasn't to be.

In all, the Omeruo-Awaziem partnership did just enough to dominate the CV attackers. And combined, they made the most recoveries alongside Bonke at DM.


4. Shehu Abdullahi

Didn't put a foot wrong except for the one moment where we all were wondering where he was for Cape verde's Goal. Dylan Tavares had successfully evaded Moses Simon (closest marker to him) by timing his run-in behind to perfection which led to the goal.

Apart from this one moment, Shehu was Solid as well. He even got forward early in the game and created a beautiful chance with a low cross which Ahmed Musa should have done much better with.
For the rest of the game, Shehu had to stay pegged back in his RB role to keep the defensive shape since Jamilu was constantly bursting forward on the opposite flank when we had the ball.

A good shift from Shehu.



5. Moses Simon

Moses Simon didn't have his best of games but he also wasn't poor either. He did try a couple of crosses from the right but none yielded much fruit in the end. He provided an outlet for the team on the right but he had problems beating his markers for the most parts. His industry still cannot be faulted.

He could have done better picking out Dylan Tavares in that one moment which saw the Cape Verdean Fullback dash in behind Simon but he did good catching up with him eventually and doing enough to cover the crossing/passing angles.

Now this leads me to the next player to evaluate briefly because I feel this player should have done better after Simon did his best using his pace to recover grounds on the invasive Dylan Tavares....

This player is Maduka Okoye.

Have it in mind that the role was Shehu's but in his absence (due to him being badly positioned in that instance off the ball) Simon did try to cover for him and chased down Tavares.


6. Maduka Okoye

You know, I have personally played a lot of roles in football back in my Secondary school/Cadet academy and University days and Goalkeeper was one of them. I am naturally a striker (a left wing forward- inverted) but I also excelled at other roles except at CDM. But you see, I also understood how a goalkeeper thought and sometimes the coaches would play me with goal when our team went down by a man and needed someone to organise the backline from between the sticks. I was always the guy for that job especially only when we were leading. The coach would improvise if we needed goals and leave me upfront bringing in a goalie if we still had subs left. If not, it depended on the match situation and I would be in Goal... and we never lost with me in Goal. Never.

One of the things I picked up as a makeshift goalie was the presence of mind to always be aware of your near post when an opposition Winger approaches the goal from either flanks. You only position yourself slightly away from the near post when you see/spot the undeniable opportunity for the Winger to hit a cross or a pass across goal. But in the absence or near probability of such happenings especially with your defence blocking out passing lines for the opposition Winger, then you protect your near post first!!!!
This is what Okoye failed to do and Tavares buried with aplomb.

It must be noted that there was no way a good cross would have come out of that moment from Tavares. He saw his crossing/passing lines were blocked by Simon and the other recovering defenders then he took the only available option to him and viola! He scored.

I never played professional but this "protect-your-near-post" basic was understood strongly by me. Okoye failed in this regard and I hope he learns his lessons going forward.

Away from that, his overall confidence in Goal yesterday was questionable. Two other times again in the game after the goal, he got his positioning bad. One of which almost proved costly.

This is quite shocking for a lad who did very well in the Dutch Eredivisie last season. He is a very decent goalkeeping talent and would very likely become one of the best in the future but right now, I must admit that he hasn't convinced just yet in the GWG for the most parts especially in Competitive matches. Perhaps Rohr should shake him up a bit by giving Uzoho more games to reignite a competitive response of improvements from Okoye


You know, I understand the whole "playing in bigger league" talks as regards Okoye and Uzoho and I have their stats from last season and for the NT. Facts is Uzoho edges even now but yes Okoye plays in a better rated league.

But then, I ask myself.... Look at the best team in Afrifa today. Algeria. They have two good goalies in Rais Mbolhi (based in Saudi Arabia) and Alexandre Oukidja (starring for Metz in Ligue 1).
Guess who mans goal in the crucial games?

Djamel Belmadi still sticks to Mbolhi and despite the brilliant showings of Oukidja in France (this is not assumptive talks. He has truly been brilliant in France. Made TOTW couple of times) Belmadi, Algeria's manager, still perfers Mbolhi.

So it is not a question of who Plays in a higher league. A highly tactical coach won't be easily swayed by which league you play in especially when it comes to a role as sensitive and vital as the Goalkeeping role.

Rohr should get this right. He should stop pampering Okoye. We need the best reliables when the going gets tough out there in Cameroon, four months from now.

A word is enough. But this is to wishing both Okoye and Uzoho improved showings for their clubsides before the Afcon comes around.



7. Kingsley Michael:

A very decent showing from Kingsley Dogo Michael. His talents was never in doubt and I always knew he was going to shine in his own ways.
His ball playing and pressing were very good. His passing was simple and precise. His workrate off the ball was highly commendable.

Tackled when needed, pressed constantly, helped Bonke out to keep control of the middle game and ensured we were hard to penetrate through the middle.

Did advance the ball a few times as well but there was Zero hint of creativity when on the ball. Didn't deliver or pick out any noteworthy lines-breaking pass either on the run or from deep.

But seeing as he wasn't expected to do everything plus this was his just his first game in the GWG and from the start too in an away game against a giant killing opponent, then Kingsley indeed covered himself in glory and I hope he gets even more games at Bologna in Serie A establishing himself as a valuable squad member of the group and even possibly starter so as to keep adding depth value to the Super Eagles.

A lad who only made his 2nd serie A apperance in the last 3-4 years in Italy vs Atalanta just recently and only got a handful of mins last season in Serie B, was still able to produce such a matured display in the middle of the pack against seasoned giant killing opponents. How much more if he gets more mins for Bologna this season. Kingsley is a very talented player and disciplined performer. A good addition to the team.

Really cannot stop imagining what other midfield prospects/lads who are just as talented or even more talented than Kingsley and have good gametime experience under their belts will produce when finally given the chance.

Kingsley's display on his very first start and first appearance in the GWG is testament to the depth Rohr is yet to exploit even to half-full levels.
And also testament to not judging players alone on gametime for clubs. Quality is Quality. But yes, gametime is important.




8. Innocent Bonke:

A lot of folks here didn't feel this guy because of his average (some would say, Below average) ball control. He wasn't assured on the ball like Kingsley and his passing was at times questionable, but there is one thing Bonke did so very well which gave us a fighting chance in yesterday's game.

Bonke was our undisputed Midfield Destroyer. He hacked down and tackled and intercepted anything Cape verdean.
He had one major mission: Fight for every ball and recover as much as you can. Give them not a breathing space.... and that he did admirably even though his ball control needs work.
Bonke did the dirty work while Kingsley tidied up while also getting into some dirty bits in the middle.

In all, a commendable showing from Bonke. But he is still very much behind Ndidi and Onyeka.



9. Victor Osimhen:

My Man. The Warrior-Athlete... Our Super Striker. The Monster Machine himself. Didn't score against Liberia but saved his 7th International goal for this moment. A goal that brought us back into the game and made us see a chance for a win.

He didn't get much service but he knew what he was up against. He knew he won't get as many chances so he had to be vigilant to pounce when needed, shoot when needed and drift wife when needed. This he did and I was satisfied with his industry upfront even in the absence of his usual supporting cast.

He did find a new supporting cast though in Ejuke. Both of them causing havoc upfront. Ejuke using osimhen as decoy to make room and get some shots off that really troubled Vozinha. Osimhen even applauded one of such efforts.

Osimhen showed true leadership upfront and battled for every ball, chasing down even lost causes and that was how he was able to be positioned at rhe right place, at the right time to pounce on a defensive error and bag for the GWG.
It is one of the hallmarks of great Strikers. The ability to poach in the box. To pop up when needed in positions to drag your team out of a defeatist hole when the going gets tough like it got yesterday in that moment we conceeded.




10. Ahmed Musa:

Didn't and wasn't even expected by anyone who have watched him for the last 11 years to do a good job at a #10. No creativity at all but he did try fall back a couple of times to help the midfield win balls and recover. Provided an extra body in the middle when needed but that didn't help at all too with transition between Midfield and attack. Our best transitions into attack came from the flanks.

Musa used his pace at times when he drifted wide but nothing of note came out of it.

Musa had a quiet game by his standards and duly bagged his much celebrated "100th cap" (which is actually not yet official in FIFA records because one of the 2 games taken into account for Musa's 100, the Togo game back in 2017 still stands as Unofficial). Rightly subbed off but we all know he should have been subbed out earlier.

A softly okay shift from the captain.







The subs:

Onyekuru, Moffi, Onuachu and Zaidu.

Loved what I saw from both Onyekuru and Moffi especially. Moffi didn't get much on the ball but it was his pressing on CV MF, Kenny Rocha Santos that led to the miscalculated eagerly hit pass that beat the badly positioned, CV keeper, Vozinha.
Moffi and Onyekuru pressed on that right side together with Moffi keenly advancing on Rocha Santos which caused the lad to turn tail and hoof it into his goal.

Moffi's touches were also exemplary and he showed fine strength in a few duels keeping the CV defenders honest alongside Onuachu (on his entrance).

Onyekuru was the most daring and lively of the subs though. He could have had a goal within moments of his entrance had he picked out his spot better before hitting one straight into Vozinha's embrace.


How the chance came about?
Osimhen on a dashing forward run down the right side aimed for a pass to Moffi who was running in behind on the left side of the opposition box which deflected into the path of Onyekuru for a chance at goal.

Onuachu came on for Osimhen and did just okay. Kept up the pressing even with little encounter with the ball.

Zaidu came in too for Ejuke just to close shop on the left side. Did enough providing that extra fresh leg off the bench.

TheSuperNerd:
True. But in my case, I had a higher calling in the ICT and Health Sciences world. My talents and high yield potentials in both worlds spotted from an age younger than when I even began kicking the round leather.
I was bound to be super occupied with my central niche so I eventually dropped football (in terms of playing) but stuck to it in terms of following. And so far, so good, of two good choices, the better choice was made.

It is well, My good man.

All the best, you are doing well!!!

Excellent report, I doubt if the NFF official match report would be as thorough and detailed as this, even if it's as detailed as this, I doubt if Rohr will make use of what he reads from the NFF match report. Na too open site like FourFourTwo, Goal.com and These Football Times remain for you, this match report is more detailed than that of both Owngoalnigeria and Allnigeriansoccer.

TheSuperNerd:
Brief Post-Mortem of our huge win in Mindelo: Blue Sharks of Cape Verde 1-2 Super Eagles of Nigeria
Osimhen shows character upfront
Ejuke impresses so much. My MOTM
Kingsley: Smooth and Matured display
Jamilu stuns most.



First of all, really glad for the win. This win further vindicates and validates the fact that we indeed have quality depth in the Super Eagles.

A hugely depleted Nigerian side missing 8 major key stars/regulars + without the likes of Kalu, Ebuehi, Akpoguma and Chukwueze (all regulars or key players too) was still able to grind out a win away at the home of a side that downed Cameroon in the AfconQs earlier this year and who had several players (7 of them in Vozinha, Kenny Rocha Santos, Roberto Lopes, Steve Furtado, Vagner dias, Dylan Tavares-Goal scorer, and Vasco Lopes). who featured for Cape Verde in their widely celebrated friendly win over Brazil's U-23s (few months ago) featuring about 4 or so lads who later went on to bag Olympic Gold at Tokyo.

The COVID 19 rule that ruled out Super Eagles British based contingent was a blessing in disguise because Rohr wouldn't have given enough game time to Chidera Ejuke and Kingsley Dogo Michael for them to be assessed.

cc12:
Excellent report, I doubt if the NFF official match report would be as thorough and detailed as this, even if it's as detailed as this, I doubt if Rohr will make use of what he reads from the NFF match report. Na too open site like FourFourTwo, Goal.com and These Football Times remain for you, this match report is more detailed than that of both Owngoalnigeria and Allnigeriansoccer.

No mind am, he be like housefly wey dey follow dead body enter grave, e no dey hear word! Somebody don even threaten am say he go collect blala if he no commercialize the gift, still he no hear.