The Super Eagles of Nigeria had their first training session today ahead of Saturday’s AFCON 2019 Qualifiers tie against South Africa in Johannesburg and Owngoalnigeria.com watched the session which took place at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
During the session, our correspondent noticed a lot of things but has decided to pick the top five moments during the session that lasted close to two hours under the watchful eyes of coach Gernot Rohr.
1. Rohr Holds Chat With Chukwueze – Newly invited Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze had talks with coach of the Nigerian team before the start of on field drills. The Villarreal man spoke with the Franco-German coach for around five minutes before teaming up with the rest of the team.
2. Leon Balogun Looks Very Fit – Despite his well documented lack of game time at English Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, Balogun was clearly among the fittest players during the drills in training. Aside taking part he was constantly among the players who finished all drills properly.
3. Aina Has Matured A Lot – Omitted from Nigeria’s squad to the World Cup in Russia, Ola Aina appears to have won back his spot in the team and his form at Italian Serie A side Torino where he is on loan from Chelsea was clearly shown during the session.
4. Ahmed Musa Is Fastest Eagles Player – The players of the Super Eagles were put through a speed test and captain Ahmed Musa came out top. His speed at the start and at the end saw him ghost past other players with ease.
5. Semi Ajayi Is Not An Average Player – Although he plays in the English Championship, Rotherham Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi Is no doubt a talented footballer. The 24 year old looked very calm and assured on the ball and his tackle success rate was also among the best during the session.
Afolabi Samuel
