tbaba1234:
Ighalo has been heavily criticized so he should be praised now that he is producing the goods.

Great to see him come good. He is in rich form so he deserves to start games. A confident player is a dangerous player.

I love the fact that he was motivating the boys when he was getting subbed.

If he keeps up the form and Nigeria go all the way, Ighalo will be the player of the tournament.

Bunique:

many fans on this thread hate Rohr not necessarily because of the way we play but because of some of their favourite players not featured by Rohr.
It bagan with Shehu against Ebuehi. Shehu is arguably the most criticised play here irrespective of the team performance Shehu would always be singled out for criticism, up till now the hatred for Shehu is still there.
I am sure if it was Shehu that allowed Bassagog make that cross for Cameroon's equalizer this thread would have been filled with condemnation. I can even recall the panic clearance by Awaziem that landed on the chest of a Cameroon player ThankGod for the poor control.
I am not trying to compare or criticize any player but just to point out the obvious hypocrisy on this thread.

charlesemeka85:
My brother I come follow dey ask whether no be the same match wey I watch cus the rave abt the guy after the match dey too much. Many who re clamoring for oshimeh once him play few matches now and don't deliver them go curse craze comot for the young man life.

The nff hired a coach so u guys should allow him do his work or better still apply for the job is there is an opening. Even if Rohr wins the afcon and get to a world cup semifinal some of una no go still dey satisfied so make una free the old man to do em job.

Also those who have been praying for the team to be disgraced out of afcon so that they will have a cause to castigated Rohr and protest for his sack should change their prayer point cus it seem that's not gonna happen. Eagles may not win the tournament but will leave with their heads high!

Unlimited22:
Gustav25 and afobear on their way

TheSuperNerd:



Names of those who don't see us winning the Cameroun game + Those who don't want us to win sef...


1. Darkelf

2. Joebie

3. Omanbala1

4. Gustav25

5. Afobear

6. ..........

7. ..........

Mujtahida:

Stop this thing na. He changed the dynamics of the game even though he had no hand in the two goals. He created two clear chances which were wasted. All of these unsettled the camerounian defense ,put them under pressure and stemmed the tide of their attacking forays.

Simon Moses on the other hand wasn't just on the top of his game today. No need to press the point. E no go enter.

darkelf:
Afobear, I sight you ooo

Where is your cousin "gustav"

I expected your trolling after we lost to Madagascar

But you guys never showed up.

ChrisKels:


Finally we have a worthy MOD here. Please endeavour to cut short every nonsensical argument not related to the purpose of this thread, especially, those from goodjoe on Pep, those annoying YouTube videos and quotes he uses to derail this thread, and plz give gustav25, Afobear and his goons live bans from this thread, not nairaland as a whole oo. Errrm I dont know what to say about sir forgiveness, but anytime way Andrew444 call person mama or Papa here, knack am better ban


Finally, if those names on Semid's list fail to improve, try to dey give dem some small-small warning bans of say 2-4days, from time to time

And to urself, anytime wey u use medical terms in here, ban urself. If I see any pia matter, lobotomy, cortices, grey matter, amnesia etc without u banning urself, I go show u pepper

Whatever Chriskels does, do not look his way maka ndu gi

jieta:
Is like you are afraid of mentioning his moniker, his name is Afobear. He only show up when we lose

jihday:
I didn't say you've seen, it's a question I asked, how did you know that Finidi will know better? You guys should cut Rhor some slack he's not been bad, you guys keep making it seem like he's been using Akpeyi as a RB the players he's been using have given a good account of themselves, he's shown he's not afraid to drop non performing players. You people should just quit whining about his tactical proficiency

jihday:
I didn't say you've seen, it's a question I asked, how did you know that Finidi will know better? You guys should cut Rhor some slack he's not been bad, you guys keep making it seem like he's been using Akpeyi as a RB the players he's been using have given a good account of themselves, he's shown he's not afraid to drop non performing players. You people should just quit whining about his tactical proficiency

Bunique:

so wettin happen during afcon qualifier

Afobear:


Leave me alone Averaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggeeeeeeeeeeeeeee drunk

BascoVanVeli:
Nigeria's show of character and Ighalo's goals secure AFCON progress


Colin Udoh ESPN

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Three thoughts on Nigeria's 3-2 win against Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16.

1. Ighalo leads Nigeria's show of character

As two-goal Odion Ighalo walked off the pitch after being substituted, he took a moment to hit one fist against his palm, indicating to his Nigeria teammates that they must continue to fight. He had done the same thing just before kickoff and again when the Super Eagles went 2-1 down. It was a sign of how far the forward has come and the leadership he brings.

Tapping into reserves of character is something past Nigeria teams have done, but the current group had yet to come back from adversity under Gernot Rohr. That changed on a thrilling Saturday night in Alexandria, when Ighalo scored twice before Alex Iwobi added the winner to see off Cameroon and seal a place in the quarterfinal, where they will face South Africa.

Six days after a shock defeat against Madagascar cost his side top spot in Group B, Rohr restored his regular starters to the line-up and it appeared the instruction was to press high early. Nigeria began with energy, pushing Cameroon back into their half and forcing early errors. After 19 minutes, a free kick led to pandemonium in the Cameroon penalty area and Ighalo pounced.

In the five minutes before half-time, though, two easy goals were gifted to the holders, which meant a gut check was required by the men in green and white. They showed the character required after the break, first withstanding multiple attacks and then, when Ighalo took a chested Ahmed Musa ball in stride and stroked home from close range, drawing level.

Three minutes later, the same combination led to Iwobi slotting under Andre Onana. The remainder of the game brought more examinations, but Nigeria stood resolute, repelling waves of Cameroon pressure to claim victory.

It was a personal triumph for Ighalo, who scored seven times in qualifying, but has since taken plenty of flak from fans, not least for his role in the Madagascar defeat. There were calls for Victor Osimhen to start, but Rohr did not waver from his belief in the abilities of the forward who turned 30 just last week.

And on one of the biggest nights of his career, Ighalo showed why. After an early miss attracted the critics' ire again, he showed a poacher's instinct with both of his goals, first when he reacted quickly to stab past Onana and then, on his second, when he stayed composed to volley home despite Cameroon's claims of offside.

"He is a great striker and I trust him because he scores goals and today, he showed us again what he can do for the team. I like him for his professionalism," Rohr told ESPN after a game in which his faith was rewarded.


Having failed to qualify for the last two Cup of Nations tournaments, NIgeria are two games away from this year's final. Getty
2. Defensive errors persist but Etebo stars again

That the game came close to being lost, despite the fact that the Nigerians controlled it for long periods, was due to a fragility in defence that meant fans could not relax.

Both Cameroon goals were avoidable, but panicked and uncertain play meant pressure was invited from early in the game. Just before the holders equalised through Stephane Bahoken, Kenneth Omeruo mishit a high ball that led to chaos in the penalty area.

Ola Aina looked unsure as he tried to come to grips with the pace and trickery of Christian Bassogog and Clinton Njie, the latter of whom got the better of Aina to score Cameroon's second. There were more hearts-in-mouth moments after Iwobi made it 3-2 -- William Troost-Ekong's hurried clearances did little to bring calm -- and Cameroon will kick themselves for not making more of their chances.

"Like I have said before, we are human beings and we make mistakes," Leon Balogun told ESPN. "Nobody goes out there to play and make mistakes, but we keep doing our best and we work hard to make sure that those mistakes do not happen again."

One player who did much to ensure Nigeria closed the game out was Oghenekaro Etebo. There was concern when the midfielder took a knock midway through the first half, but he had his hip strapped and returned to continue the good work that has made him Nigeria's most influential player -- by some distance -- at this African Cup of Nations.

Ighalo's goals might have won him man of the match, but Etebo's uncompromising attitude and ability to control the tempo of the game was again vital is one they have rode on to three victories. It was evident even when they lost and will be needed if Nigeria are to go beyond the last eight.

3. Rohr's substitutions worthy of questioning?

The Nigeria manager usually leaves his changes until late in games and very often makes switches with which supporters do not agree. His actions in this department during this game were a mixed bag.



He got the first one correct on two counts, bringing on fan favourite Samuel Chukwueze -- sacrificing the defensive attributes of Moses Simon -- with just under an hour played. The impact was immediate; Chukwueze is a harbinger of chaos, with quick feet and an ability to take on defenders that causes constant worry in opponents.

Rohr's second sub -- Paul Onuachu for Ighalo -- fell into the exasperated "oh no, not again" category. The feeling among fans is that Osimhen, or even Henry Onyekuru, would have been better choices to harass a tired Cameroon defence. As if to make that point, Onuachu struggled and there were audible groans each time he gave the ball away.

It was also instructive to see Ahmed Musa screaming to the touchline for Leon Balogun to brought on as the Nigerians tried to see the game out. The defender eventually replaced Iwobi during injury time, which left a feeling that, maybe, Rohr just does not know the right time to change things.

Barryseal:


A guy scored 2 goals and assisted one to knock out the current holders of the cup, but it is Chukwueze who deserves the accolades for creating 3 non converted chances. I wonder how missed chances impacts on the result of a football match.

Joebie:
GBAM

darkelf:


Yes Ighalo was MOTM yesterday and he gave a world class performance.

However, it should also be noted that Chukwueze came in and acted like the decoy necessary for Ighalo and Musa to operate with less pressure from the defense. That's why we hail him but that doesn't take away the performance of the other players like Musa, Iwobi, Etebo et al

Earthquake3:
Nwakali trains with his Arsenal teammates

andrew444:


Moses Simon is a winger and not a wing back ,so because he played as wing back in levante this season you don turn am to wing back abi ?

Moses Simon will start next game ,I don't know why that's a problem to most of you guys

He was poor in attack ,but shebi we win guinea ?

Una self

timay:


His contributions were majorly an indirect one, not a direct contributions like goals or assist.
Indirect in the sense that he opened up space for others to do the damage

Even though I felt He could have had an assist yesterday but, Ighalo na NEPA , always on and off with goal scoring chances

Joebie:
Decoy., that’s the word. Chukwueze is known to Seesorf, which is why they made a quick substitution and always had two men on him.

BascoVanVeli:



It would have been suicidal to close in on Basagog. Maybe Awaziem should have done better in not allowing the cross but this is football and stuff happens. As per weakest link if I am forced to give it it would go to Ola Aina. That second was too poor on his part and he switched off other times in the game when Omeruo had to save him.

Humility017:


please if you look very well...
you will understand that the style of play in his club side has really affected him.
Moses that I know prior now was a very deadly winger and also good with free kicks...

I don't understand why you ighalo fans are making it look that those applauding chuks and his introduction wanna take the spot light of ighalo...
everyone knows ighalo did well...I praised him for that...
but notwithstanding Chuks introduction paid off also.... he really kept the Cameroonians busy afterwards.

Jarus:
By the way, I think Camerounians bullied our players with strength for the most part of the game.

edi287:

Don't think Awaziem is weak technically. His lack of a pace is a worry for me but he's been generally ok so far.

Jarus:


year 2 and SS3 no dey different nah.

I repeat class for pry 2, if not nah year 1 I go dey for uni. and I start school late sef.

so we fit be mate o