Nigerian Players That Make A Good Impression In The Group Stage Of The AFCON

The Super Eagles made it to the AFCON 2023 last 16 after a scrappy 1-0 win against Guinea-Bassau. Both teams scored goals in the match’s second half that were ruled out for offside. Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen also had his effort ruled out for handball. Opa Sangante’s nine minutes before halftime ended up being the match-decider.

Jose Peseiro’s team settled for second place in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea, who thrashed the hosts, Ivory Coast, 4-0. They will come up against the second team in Group C, which could be Senegal, Guinea, or Cameroon. With that said, let’s look at the Nigerian players who have made a good impression in the group stage of the competition:

Victor Osimhen

Osimhen entered this year’s tournament as one of the favorites to win the Golden Boot. However, many of his critics claim that he has been underwhelming. So far, he has only scored one goal for the Super Eagles, which is lower than fan expectations, especially those wagering on the tournament events. In this sense, read this article helping with any 1xBet login problems you may experience to help you enjoy the matches.

Although some fans deem Osimhen’s performances’ underwhelming,” he has been a key player for Nigeria. For example, he scored the only goal against Equatorial Guinea and was the one that put Sangante under pressure to score an own goal. He was also the man of the match against Ivory Coast and won the penalty that led to the game’s only goal.

Ola Aina

The Nottingham Forest full-back has been a bright spark for the Super Eagles in the AFCON 2023. In the latest match against Guinea Bissau, he excelled in the left wing-back position, completing 92% of his passes. He also created two goal-scoring chances for his teammates.  

This has been his form throughout the tournament, forming a solid partnership with Calvin Bassey on Nigeria’s left side of defense and attack. The Nigerian coach will hope that his full-back will keep up his impressive performances if they are to go further in the tournament.

Calvin Bassey

Despite underwhelming performances, one of Nigeria’s strengths in the tournament Group stage matches has been their solid defense. They have only conceded one goal in the Group stage matches during the game against Equatorial Guinea, who have been in sensational form.

At the heart of this defense is Calvin Bassey, who has been a key player for the Super Eagles. His partnership with Kenneth Omeruo during the Guinea-Bissau game was impressive. Omeruo has impressed football fans with his strong tackles, aerial prowess, and good passing.  

Final Thoughts

The Super Eagles have had an underwhelming start to the AFCON 2023. However, looking at the opponents they had to deal with is understandable. However, they will have to step up their performances to progress to the tournament’s later stages. Who has been your standout performer for the Super Eagles?