A hattrick from Odion Ighalo powered the Super Eagles of Nigeria to a 4-0 win over Libya in the race to be at next year African Cup of Nations.
Owngoalnigeria.com rates the players who played in the win which lifted Nigeria to second in their group , one point behind group leaders South Africa following their win over Seychelles.
Francis Uzoho – Commanded his area brilliantly and impressed with his short passes but still need to work on playing long balls out from the box. His fantastic one hand save off a header in the box proved his sharpness….7/10
Shehu Abdullahi – A muscle injury ended his participation early into the game. Not enough to earn a rating.
Jamilu Collins – Kept his man in check and looked impressive on the ball. Almost scored from a strong overlapping run but his chipped effort came off the bar. Looks very assured….7.5/10
Leon Balogun – He was his usual self but didn’t look the part like in previous game . Twice beaten for pace but his quick thinking made up for his apparent lack of pace. Lost his man who almost draw Libya level with a header….6/10
William Troost Ekong – Solid performance from the Udinese man. Won most of his duels and looked very commanding in aerial duels. Still need to work on his positioning….7/10
Wilfred Ndidi – Industrious as usual but still need to find his passing range especially when it comes to turning defence into attack. His performance was steady but far from spectacular….6/10
Oghenekaro Etebo – Good on the ball and worked really hard off the ball. However he didn’t look quite comfortable playing with Ndidi in the middle. He did had a better second half display….7/10
Alex Iwobi – Played the number ten role by drifting to the flanks rather than playing through the middle. Picked up Odion Ighalo with a well timed, perfectly executed pass for Nigeria’s second goal. He was Nigeria’s most creative player in the game….8/10
Samuel Kalu – Disappointed with his final ball and was guilty of hanging onto possession for too long. He was also guilty of going for glory where a simple pass would have set his teammate through on goal. Rounded up scoring for Nigeria….6.5/10
Ahmed Musa – Struggled to get involved in the first half but looked lively when on the ball. His first time play helped Ighalo score the second goal for Nigeria….6/10
Odion Ighalo – Dispatched his penalty well. Missed a sitter to put the Eagles two goals up minutes afterwards. Took his second goal of the game nicely by rounding the goalkeeper. Credit must however go to Iwobi for the pass that put him through on goal. Got lucky at the second time of asking for his hattrick….8/10
Substitutes
Ola Aina – Very assured in making tackles despite having a sluggish start to the game after replacing Shehu Abdullahi. Timed his tackles to perfection and made important interceptions….7/10
Isaac Success – Didn’t get enough balls but showed glimpses of his potentials with a through pass which Henry Onyekuru failed to convert….5/10
Henry Onyekuru – A poor first touch from a through ball denied him the chance to get himself on the scoresheet. Added pace and directness to the attack….3/10
