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

Daejoyoung:

How? Iwobi wasn't offside.

TheGoodJoe:


I disagree with Balogun being the weak link. He dominated that area. Did you see the amount of aerial balls he won? Tackles? Covering Echiejile repeatedly going wide. Balogun towards the end was barking orders and organizing the shape of the back line. Disagree totally.

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.

oloriooko:

Watch it very well and you will know he was offside
He didn't have to be out and out offside cuz he was inches ahead of the last defender and the lineman got it spot on

safarigirl:
more nonsense. So, it is Cyriel that is not a good striker?

All of Cyril's goals are flukes abi? How many goals does Tammy have this season sef?

All this nonsense beggi beggi attitude dey turn pesin belle. After the way that guy embarrassed Nigerians, I am ashamed of anyone still campaigning for his inclusion this early. If anyone does that to your country, the ideal thing is to keep talks of him away until after the World Cup, not keep talking about him as if we are that obsessed boyfriend that can't get over their ex.

Tammy is not the only forward at our disposal and I dare say, he is not better than those who have expressed interest to play for us.

If he is still interested after the world cup, we can go for him, but for now, ley him remain at his U21 level that he chose for himself

Joebie:
Iwobi wasn't offside.. The replays were done, and even the commentator attested to it. Iwobi timed his run perfectly

Joebie:
Iwobi wasn't offside.. The replays were done, and even the commentator attested to it. Iwobi timed his run perfectly

elyte89:


Yes, not scared to say dt,most esp in d 1st half


But in all fairness, judging by today's game,do we feel echiejile deserves so much criticism? D few chances Zambia saw today were errors made mostly by balogun, and also thanks to d poor pass made mostly by ekong giving d Zambia cheap possession of d ball,thereby piling up pressure on d defence

denniece1:

Balogun had 3 tackles & 3 interceptions
Echiejile had 5 tackles & 5 interceptions, his problem was just being slow & didn't offer much going forward.

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.

denniece1:

Balogun had 3 tackles & 3 interceptions
Echiejile had 5 tackles & 5 interceptions, his problem was just being slow & didn't offer much going forward.

elyte89:


Yes, not scared to say dt,most esp in d 1st half


But in all fairness, judging by today's game,do we feel echiejile deserves so much criticism? D few chances Zambia saw today were errors made mostly by balogun, and also thanks to d poor pass made mostly by ekong giving d Zambia cheap possession of d ball,thereby piling up pressure on d defence

Joebie:
fare share of 50-50? Can't remember him in a one-on-one situation. it was always 3 to 1, or 2 to 1. He always had support.

oloriooko:

Was talking about Zambia

denniece1:

Lol, even Tammy Abraham dropped a comment on his IG post

safarigirl:
more nonsense. So, it is Cyriel that is not a good striker?

All of Cyril's goals are flukes abi? How many goals does Tammy have this season sef?

All this nonsense beggi beggi attitude dey turn pesin belle. After the way that guy embarrassed Nigerians, I am ashamed of anyone still campaigning for his inclusion this early. If anyone does that to your country, the ideal thing is to keep talks of him away until after the World Cup, not keep talking about him as if we are that obsessed boyfriend that can't get over their ex.

Tammy is not the only forward at our disposal and I dare say, he is not better than those who have expressed interest to play for us.

If he is still interested after the world cup, we can go for him, but for now, ley him remain at his U21 level that he chose for himself

BascoVanVeli:


thank u the first half was a mess. Honestly I don't know how some people watch football. Leon played the man onside for the goal that was ruled off and he also got manhandled when Zambia missed a sitter around 30mins.

Joebie:
Anything below that level he had against France isn't awesome to me.

Chrismario:
Please Joebie, av been waiting to see Zambian's post match interview.

I need am well well

Icon4s:


That is something goes on here. Selective criticisms. The talk about Echiejile as the worst player on the pitch today is so amusing.

Leone Balogun had a bad game especially in the first half. Dude was so slow in marking out his opponent and also slow in the build up of play.

Troost Ekong, just also like occasionally against Cameroon made one silly clearance that almost cost us a goal. If it were Onazi, Echiejile or Omeruo that made those passes we for no hear word here.

Despite Onazi's contributions in the first 20+ minutes he played some are still scoring him 5/10 for those minutes.

We have our favorite players and the opposite as well but we should be fair in making our judgements.

Icon4s:


The last time I saw Balogun this poor (especially in the first half) was in our friendly against SA in 2014.

Chrismario:
Please Joebie, av been waiting to see Zambian's post match interview.

I need am well well

AIG07:
I am very sure some people must have mocked us. Sticking to the team even after we failed to qualify for AFCON '17 and hoping against all hopes. We have finally scaled through to Russiah.

Shouts out to everyone who have supported this team from regular commenters to ghost readers. You are the real deal and you've made the journey worthwhile.

Special shout out to the op who created this thread in person of Terzurum5-I hope you are glad and happy over there, to the news crew and updates specialist(Sirs Okpyendega, Joebie, Tbaba1234 who is our camera man, forgiveness, blackalbino6 etc) Kudos to you too...

Finally, Wishing the SEs greater success in the future.

God bless the Super Eagles of Nigeria!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

#SoarEagles and spread your wings over East Europe.

Icon4s:


That is something goes on here. Selective criticisms. The talk about Echiejile as the worst player on the pitch today is so amusing.

Leone Balogun had a bad game especially in the first half. Dude was so slow in marking out his opponent and also slow in the build up of play.

Troost Ekong, just also like occasionally against Cameroon made one silly clearance that almost cost us a goal. If it were Onazi, Echiejile or Omeruo that made those passes we for no hear word here.

Despite Onazi's contributions in the first 20+ minutes he played some are still scoring him 5/10 for those minutes.

We have our favorite players and the opposite as well but we should be fair in making our judgements.

BascoVanVeli:


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

Kog45:
Chei Jobie u want to kill Onazi ni,for his performance to be awesome to u he must always be at that level he was against France.

Joebie:
hahahahaha.. at least we can now boast.. the victory didn't come easy though

BascoVanVeli:

Oga I don tire.

BascoVanVeli:


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

elyte89:


Yes, not scared to say dt,most esp in d 1st half


But in all fairness, judging by today's game,do we feel echiejile deserves so much criticism? D few chances Zambia saw today were errors made mostly by balogun, and also thanks to d poor pass made mostly by ekong giving d Zambia cheap possession of d ball,thereby piling up pressure on d defence