Eagles vs Thunder: Yusuf dazzles as Troost-Ekong fails to lead

The Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to fly in their first match of AFCON 2023, playing out a 1-1 draw against less-fancied Equatorial Guinea in Abidjan.

Jose Peseiro’s side were guilty of missing a ghost of chances in a match they pelted the goal with 17 shots but only hit target with seven.

Daily Trust looks at the three best and poor performers respectively for Nigeria against a nation ranked 98th by FIFA.

Best Performer: Alhassan Yusuf

The Royal Antwerp midfielder was impressive on his international debut. The central midfielder was box-to-box, fearless, showed good stamina, and played more forward passes- though with low accuracy- as he contributed much to Nigeria gainng the upper hand in midfield.

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A late replacement for injured Wilfred Ndidi, Yusuf, the 23-year-old went off injured and hopefully it is not a serious one. Rough diamond.

William Troost-Ekong: The captain did not inspire confidence in defence despite playing as the last man. The 31-year-old’s anticipation is well off and along with Semi Ajayi and Ola Aina, failed to close down the space in the box as the Thunder nation took the lead. His tendency to react instead of push up the backline could have caused more trouble for his side.

Communication with the new goalkeeper was also suspect, had the lowest pass accuracy in the four-man defence (76%) with 40% success on long balls. He needs to get things in order against Ivory COast who would prove an even better opponent.

Notable mention: Victor Osimhen could have bagged a hattrick on another day but failed to convert three big chances despite scoring the equalizer. Not a particularly good day in his world-class standard.

Also, Alex Iwobi’s loose ball and lack of defensive awareness led to Equatorial Guinea’s opener and although he impressed in patches, his overall performance should be better.