Joebie:
Joebie's Player Ratings

---

Elderson Echiejile (5/10)
Got support from his partners as usual and was found out of position a couple times in the first half. He had no business going forward as he failed to pull any tricks in the final third. Considering that speed is not one of his assets he should have sat behind. He didn't give Balogun the support enjoyed by Ekong at the other side of defense. He survived through the encounter until he picked up an injury.

tbaba1234:


I am beginning to think Azubuike might be better... But he did better in the second half.

Kog45:
In d second half Mikel Agu should just thank Ndidi and Mikel nothing more and Onazi should have add more to d team than Agu in d second half.

My man Rohr should look for a better player to complement Ndidi as DM not Agu for God sake,against Cameroon he was below par,today d same thing,we need better players not shaking ones.

BascoVanVeli:


Apart from a wayward cross Echiejile did good for me.

elyte89:




Ramon azeez ko,fatai atere ni

Abdul ajagun,peter olayinka,dressers, and all does players wey our unofficial scout in nairaland likes to mention,NONE Is going to world cup

Only Joel obi(DTS if he's 100percent fit and convince d coaching crew and Tammy Abraham changes his mind,dis re d only two player I c gate crashing d world cup list

Joebie:
Yes I agree. That DMF needs more competition. Let's call a spade a spade, Onazi has not been as good as his last world cup performance. We will need that level or higher in Russia from any DMF.

Mickael2:



Tor, Onazi is far better than Agu no doubt, but the point is that in the second half, Agu replaced Onazi very well(despite Agu being a very poor player), so I think we should get a top top DMF better than Onazi or put Ndidi in that DMF role and look for a classy CMF, we have a lot; Ajagun, Joel Obi even Rabiu Ibrahim to a lesser degree

BascoVanVeli:


Apart from a wayward cross Echiejile did good for me.

Joebie:
Joebie's Player Ratings

---

Alex Iwobi (8/10)
Iwobi came in at the right time (Rohr must be given credits). He paid Zambians in their own coins with his speed. His introduction brought immediate impact to Nigeria's game. He continued from where he stopped with Arsenal keeping his composure to convert the game's only goal. Much credits must be given to Arsene Wenger for his fine development. No wonder his celebration was that Gunners machine gun salute -- so adorable to watch.

Eddy Onazi (5/10)
Onazi was one of the most noticeable men on green shirt, not for his plays but his hair color. He failed to connect with his a long ball earlier on. However Onazi has been the man covering up for Echiejile all along -- and he did just that today. I find it hard to spot any fine moment from the Trabz midfielder. His performance was average for the little time he spent on the pitch.

Victor Moses (6.5/10)
VicMO had his good moments of helping in build-up, but his performance today was below par should what we know him for be anything to go by. Although it was apparent from the start of the game that he was one of the main men Zambia planned to mark out, he still had a fare good number of options to make, but he rather tried too often to run into a sea of Chipolopolo players.

Ola Aina (5.5/10)
He looked more comfortable in Left Back than the man he replaced, for the relatively short time he spent on the pitch. The Zambians had some good real estate at particular moment though, but Aina didn't get the luxury of support Echiejile got while on the pitch. His high point was when he put through a clever pass that could have passed for a fine assist (Who said Aina cannot use both legs?). A debut performance alas!

Leon Balogun (6.5/10)
Struggled for pace in the first half, but made some adjustment in the second. Next time he will need to adjust more quickly. Going by his standard, his worse game in a SE shirt. By the game's standard, he was just good enough to keep Nigeria safe. He rose time and time again to head away Zambia's forays and even moved forward to assist in dead ball situations.

Troost-Ekong (7/10)
Was more lively than his CB partner. Ironically, Ekong hardly does well when his CB partner is not in good shape, or absent. And it showed again today. Ekong did not have a fine showing in the first half either. But he came good in the second half several times even when it seemed the Zambian would beat him for speed. A couple times he got some good support from the RB -- Thanks to Shehu!

Abdullahi Shehu (8/10)
Everyone's MOTM. What more can I say? He was the embodiment of a modern wing back. He looked like Chelsea's version of Victor Moses today, supporting Ekong when needed especially in the second half. His combination with Iwobi sealed the game for us. If his performance against Cameroon meant he found a new home in the RB position, his performance today meant he has just sealed that spot.

Mikel Agu (5/10)
Struggled to match the intensity of the game when he was called in prematurely to replace injured Onazi. Picked up a needless caution but eventually settled in in the second half. He still has a lot to prove if he must displace any of SE's midfield regulars.

Mikel Obi (7/10)
He tried to use his ball holding strengths, but as expected the Zambians never let him settle. Let's not forget that wonderful run he made in the first half too early. He missed a half chance in the first half. Going by his passes, Mikel was not at his best today. Overall, a pretty decent shift put up by the Super Eagles captain.

Ezenwa (6/10)
Was the more tested GK in the first half, when a close call saved him from conceding. He did the needed for the Super Eagles, the most memorable being a long-rage Zambian effort he parried away to safety.

Onyinye Ndidi (6.5/10)
Onyinye wasn't one of the most noticeable players in a green shirt today. But he rose high to draw a good save from the Zambian goalie in the second half. That attempt got Rohr's endorsement as one of the best attempts by his boys. That was a vote of approval. He gets my nod to start again.

Odion Ighalo (6.5/10)
Worked hard enough for the team, despite not scoring. He put pressure on Mweene in the first half in an attempt to prevent the Zambian captain from having a clear sight to launch attacks. He showed poor decisions in front of goal, one time blasting away when presented with a half chance. Another time not reading Simon's mind to quickly. He was guilty of trying to do too much with the final ball. Judging by this game alone, he returned back to his familiar ways prior to the Cameroon double header.

Simon Moses 6.5/10
If not for Ighalo's lapses, he would have carved one of the finest assists we've seen from the Super Eagles in recent times. His switch to the right flank caused Zambia some problems initially. He seemed to tire out just right in the time we needed some new blood in attack.
Thanks Simon for bowing out!

Elderson Echiejile (5/10)
Got support from his partners as usual and was found out of position a couple times in the first half. He had no business going forward as he failed to pull any tricks in the final third. Considering that speed is not one of his assets he should have sat behind. He didn't give Balogun the support enjoyed by Ekong at the other side of defense. He survived through the encounter until he picked up an injury.

tbaba1234:


Onazi was integral in the two legs against Cameroon. Vital... Apart from the Algerian game, Onazi has been awesome.

tbaba1234:


He was bad. He was dribbled to easily and lost the ball severally. I am not usually critical of him but he was bad today. He is the weak link in defence.

safarigirl:
which nonsense Tammy Abraham? That one that gave us ela just recently? May his leg break even if he somehow makes our World Cup list...I don't want to see that guy near our team until Qatar 2022 or AFCON 2019 at most, he is highly undeserving of a place in our squad to Russia

You see that Cyriel Dessers, he will enter our World Cup Squad before Tammy Abraham, Tammy can continue playing for England U21. We only want players that expressed interest in playing for us, we are nobody's vomit

E get some kain names wey we no suppose dey mention for this thread in relation to Russia and Tammy is one of them. Tammy ko, Tummy ni

BascoVanVeli:


Kindly point to the times these happened. The weak link of defense was Leon Balogun but most are too scared to say this.

TheGoodJoe:


Very fine and pro level rating. However, I feel you should have highlighted that cross of Echiejile that went into the crowd. His positioning, hand raising and body shape looked nice. When he hit the ball, I shouted fine but the trajectory was shocking.

Echiejile my guy.

Mickael2:



Obviously they will, na home game na. Just like Senegal will qualify too

tbaba1234:


Leon was shaky in the first half but stabilized in the second half. Elderson was bad all game.. Even the Zambians noticed it.

tbaba1234:


Onazi was integral in the two legs against Cameroon. Vital... Apart from the Algerian game, Onazi has been awesome.

BascoVanVeli:


Kindly point to the times these happened. The weak link of defense was Leon Balogun but most are too scared to say this.

Mujtahida:

Make una go dance skelewu for ONE CORNER. Winks*

BascoVanVeli:


Kindly point to the times these happened. The weak link of defense was Leon Balogun but most are too scared to say this.

BascoVanVeli:
Alexander Iwobi‏Verified account
@alexiwobi

A Dream Come True...We're Heading To The World Cup ��.Nice To Get The Winning Goal, Massive Thanks To Our Fans.The Atmosphere Was Crazy ���

Joebie:
hahaha.. I now remember.. u know we can't remember everything while doing ratings na. but that was indeed a highpoint.

tbaba1234:


I am beginning to think Azubuike might be better... But he did better in the second half.

Joebie:
I have listed what he wasn't good at.. how about you list what he was good at?

Joebie:
The Zambians knew before the game. Echeijile had been our weakest link. They planned to exploit his wing.

Dedebanky85:
My takings on the game. Just as I expected, Nigeria won but not how I had hoped it would be. I thought the Zambians would have loved to attack more from the beginning which would have opened up more spaces for us, but hey they remembered what we did to CMR and didn't come out until the second half precisely after the goal. Who knows maybe Zambia were hoping for a draw to try and see if they could trounce CMR in their final game and hope for a Nigerian loss.

To judge a players performance you need to combine both halves of the game not just one half. Therefore, it is very unfair to say Mikel Agu was poor in this game. If this game was only a first half game then he was very very very pisssssss pooooooor. But in the second half he grew into the game and played very well.

I'm thinking Aina has taken Echejile's shirt for good. Aina started reciprocating the same optimum value our RB was enjoying under Shehu. As for Shehu, if you don't leave Cyprus for a better league by first week of August next year, sack your agent and get you a new agent that would take your career to the next level. Shehu is a damn good MF. He made Iwobi's substitution really look good because Iwobi was an extra body in the midfield while Shehu ran the show alone in the right wing for the last 20mins. I don't know who is more energetic btw he and Onazi. This leads to the next point on Onazoi.

Onazi! Onazi!! Onazi!!! That guy is really disrespected and underrated by Naija fans. Where I watched the game got into a panic mode when Onazi got injured. It should never be so!. His energy level and consistent pressing makes him a very valuable assets to teams. The only sub for him is Shehu, but I'd never trade Shehu from RB to the MF cos he's very good in the RB. Rohr should start looking towards Azubuike Okechukwu as a replacement to sit on the bench for Onazi.

Lets face the truth, except injuries, Ndidi, Onazi and Mikel would always be the starting MF.

Overall, this game was of a very high quality and any neutral fan would have enjoyed the game. But why can't Nigeria have a good playing surface. Today it's good, tomorrow e don dabaru. Look at CMR and their lush green stadium. If we can't get the required training from Europe or SA, at least we can go learn from CMR on how to maintain a lush green pitch. It's becoming ridiculous and it's affecting our game. Little wonder the 2 games we played on a smooth field have been our best games (against CMR in Uyo and Yaounde).

No sane coach would make wholesome changes to a team all in the name of trying out new players. If it was in a competition proper where games are back to back then you can. Qualifying games are like get togethers and far apart so you want to try your strong team always. I expect only 3 or 4 changes to the starting line up against Algeria. I don't see the CB pairing altered at all.
My squad for Algeria:

Ezenwa GK
Ebuehi RB - 1st change
Aina LB - 2nd change
Ekong CB
Balogun CB
Ndidi DM
Ogu CM
Mikel AM
Iwobi LW - 3rd change
Moses - RW
Nwaekeme - ST - 4th change

elyte89:




Boss, forget beef, if Tammy gives us a yes, let's go for him,he's a gud striker,I love his built-up, an ideal goal poacher,dier kind is rare

BascoVanVeli:


He was solid in the back and won his fair share of 50/50's. He was not dribbled senseless like people are saying, IMO once Uwa starts performing for club people will shut up.