The Super Eagles tonight made their way to the AFCON semifinal Wednesday after they piped Angola by the odd goal.
SCORENigeria rates the individual performances of the players.
8 Stanley Nwabali
His fourth minute point-blank save defined this AFCON quarterfinal as he pushed away another dangerous effort in the closing minutes as Angola chased for an equaliser. This was his fourth straight clean sheet and he has proved to be a worthy player in the Nigerian goal posts.
7 Calvin Bassey
Another high-energy performance by the Fulham defender. He has cemented his place in the Eagles Starting XI ever since he was drafted in the team’s second group game against AFCON hosts Cote d’Ivoire. The little damper to his overall performance was picking up a needless booking.
8 William Ekong
Again played the Captain Fantastic game even though he has had to manage his body in training. He did not put a foot wrong and organised his defence to again keep out any goal.
7 Semi Ajayi
He was jittery especially in the first half, but gradually he came into his own as the game wore on. Thankfully, his big mistake in the first half did not gift Angola a goal.
6 Zaidu Sanusi
He was the poorest player for the Super Eagles. He showed off technical deficiencies to remain the biggest concern in a defence that has not let in a goal since the opening group game against Equatorial Guinea. Probably get Ola Aina to play his position, while Bright Osayi-Samuel comes in at right back.
7 Ola Aina
He has been outstanding for the Super Eagles at this AFCON and must now be one of the first names Peseiro lists. He gets the job down back in defence and he is a big threat to opposing defences when he surges forward.
7 Frank Onyeka
Again the Brentford midfielder was full of running. He was effective to justify the confidence the coach has in him.
7 Alex Iwobi
Also kept on going despite the heat and high humidity. He seemed to have gone off the boil late on in the game as he almost gifted Angola a goal with his sloppy play on the edge of the box. That warranted the shout by Nwabali.
8 Ademola Lookman
He was again the match winner with one of the best team goals at this tournament. He has now scored three goals and most importantly he is showing the class that has made him one of the main stars of Serie A club Atalanta.
7 Victor Osimhen
Besides struggling to finish off chances, he has played more for the team and this has affected his own personal performance. His commitment to the cause of the team has been second to none. He has also been unlucky.
9 Moses Simon
He picked up his second CAF Man of the Match against Angola after CAF picked him for the same honour against Guinea Bissau. He skinned his marker on the touchline before he dashed into the box to deliver a great assist for Lookman to grab the match winner tonight.
Super Eagles Starting XI vs Angola (3-4-3)
Stanley Nwabali – Calvin Bassey, William Ekong (Captain), Semi Ajayi – Zaidu Sanusi, Ola Aina, Frank Onyeka (Joe Aribo 87), Alex Iwobi (Alhassan Yusuf 80) – Ademola Lookman (Kenneth Omeruo 90), Victor Osimhen (Paul Onuachu 90), Moses Simon
