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The Super Eagles were able to get a late win against Sierra Leone after letting down a two-goal cushion in their fifth game of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles were able to secure a vital win in the last minute of the game after failing to hold on to their two-goal advantage over Sierra Leone.
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19:30 - 18.06.2023
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Victor Osimhen was in top form in the game as he helped Nigeria convert their first two chances of the game in the first half and a last-minute goal from substitute Kelechi Iheanacho was what gave the Super Eagles the win.
Sierra Leone got the equaliser by scoring in each half of the game as they tried to secure a draw with goals from Mustapha Bundu in the first half and another from Augustus Kargbo but was not enough as the Eagles scored late in the game.
With Nigeria securing a maximum of three points against Sierra Leone, we take a look at how the players fared after 90 minutes of the game.
Super Eagles player ratings v Sierra Leone
GK - Adebayo Adeleye — 4/10
The Nigerian goalkeeper was not at his best today against Sierra Leone. He let in two goals for the home team as they almost secured a draw. However, he was able to make three saves in the game.
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RB - Bright Osayi-Samuel — 5/10
Bright Osayi-Samuel who plays in Turkey was unable to burst down the right flank as he has been doing in previous games.
His performance today was not convincing enough having allowed his poor positioning to lead to Sierra Leone’s first goal of the game.
CB - Kenneth Omeruo — 7/10
The Leganes defender was at the top of his game today and was solid at the back for the Super Eagles.
He made three crucial clearances, one tackle and was not dribbled past throughout the game. He also created the assist that led to the first goal of the game.
Regardless of the two goals conceded in the game, he kept the Super Eagles alive in the game as they eventually secured the last-minute winner.
CB - Semi Ajayi — 5/10
Semi Ajayi’s job was not as decent as that of decent Kenneth Omeruo in the defence. His partnership was not as solid in this game and was not able to cover for the overlapping Bright Osayi-Samuel.
The West Brom man was also only able to make 39 passes, one clearance and lost possession six times in the game.
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10:35 - 18.06.2023
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LB - Zaidu Sanusi — 7/10
Zaidu Sanusi's burst of pace on the left flank was an issue for Sierra Leone defenders as they could not cope with his overlapping run and crosses into the box.
He created the assist for the winning goal of the game which was converted by Kelechi Iheanacho.
The left-back had three tackles, and 56 touches and created one big chance in the game which helped his team secure the three points.
CM - Wilfred Ndidi — 5/10
The Leicester players' performance was not really at the top level but he held his ground for the team during the game.
He has 47 touches of the ball, made three tackles and one interception in the game. However, his experience in the midfield helped Nigeria scale through.
CM - Alex Iwobi — 4/10
The Everton midfielder did not have a good game against Sierra Leone and could not coordinate the midfield as he has always been doing.
He could only manage 38 touches, nine touches lower than Ndidi who played as a defensive midfielder.
He could not create any big chance, lost possession of the ball 10 times and was dribbled past twice in the game.
LW - Moses Simon — 4/10
The Nantes forward was kept quiet all through the game and could not give the Sierra Leone defenders a lot to think about.
Moses Simon only had 32 touches of the ball and was unable to dribble past any player during the game. He lost one big chance in the game and gave up possession of the ball 14 times.
However, he had one shot on target and made two key passes but his other stats shows that he had a poor game today.
RW - Samuel Chukwueze — 5/10
The Villarreal trickster was not really at his best against Sierra Leone but was a bit better than his counterpart on the left wing.
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Chukwueze had one successful dribble, one shot on target, one shot blocked and two tackles.
However, he also had his downside of the game with only 30 touches, lost possession 12 times and one shot off target.
CF - Joe Aribo — 7/10
The Southampton midfielder was called upon to support Victor Osimhen in attack and he did an excellent job in that position.
Aribo created the second assist of the game for Osimhen who coolly converted it into the back of the net.
The midfielder had one big chance created, one key pass, two tackles and one successful dribble. His partnership with Osimhen was phenomenal.
CF - Victor Osimhen — 10/10
Victor Osimhen was the best player on the pitch today, helping his team secure all three points against Sierra Leone.
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The Napoli forward scored the first two goals for his team as they took an early advantage in the first half.
He had three shots on target and two off target, made four key passes, created one big chance and completed one successful dribble.
His performance earned him the Man of the Match award as he helped secure a crucial three points for Nigeria.
Sub - Kelvin Akpoguma — 4/10
Kelvin Akpoguma came in to replace Bright Osayi-Samuel in the 71st minute but did not make much impact on the team. However, he managed just one tackle during the game and helped shore up the defence.
Sub - Frank Onyeka— 4/10
The forward came in to replace Joe Aribo in the 71st minute of the game but no impact was made by the Brentford midfielder.
Sub - Kelechi Iheanacho — 8/10
Kelechi Iheanacho's presence when he came in as a substitute was key to the Super Eagles' win today.
The Leicester forward was on point for Nigeria as he scored the winning goal in the last minute of the game to secure all three points.
He had two shots on target in just 19 minutes on the field and one of those shots led to the winning goal for the Super Eagles.
Sub - Taiwo Awoniyi — 5/10
Taiwo Awoniyi came in to replace Victor Osimhen in the 81st minute of the game but did not have enough time for him to showcase his skills as a forward on the pitch. He, however, managed just one shot off target during the space of nine minutes in the game.
SUB - Calvin Bassey — NIL
He replaced Moses Simon in injury time of the game.
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