The future of Maduka Okoye in the Super Eagles is again in the balance just as fellow goalkeeper Adeleye Adebayo said he would have been happier with a clean sheet on his debut.
Algeria ‘B’ team cashed in on sloppy goalkeeping by Okoye for them to take the lead in the 33rd minute of a test game played in Constantine Friday.
Algeria Team B versus Nigeria. Watch this goalkeeping. This error could have been avoided pic.twitter.com/ECJNUs9NZq
— @Piusayinor (@PiusAyinor) September 24, 2022
Nigerian fans are yet to forgive Okoye for his mistake that knocked the Eagles out of 2021 AFCON in Cameroon in February.
Okoye’s No. 1 place in the national team has again been questioned particularly as he has been frozen out at English Championship side Watford.
Israel-based Adebayo will later replace him to make his long-awaited debut for the Eagles.
However, the young shot stopper said his debut would have been a lot better if he could have stopped the penalty that Algeria netted for the game to end 2-2.
Like home team Algeria, the Eagles played with a completely different XI in the second half.
First Half: Okoye- Ola Aina, Ekong, Ozornwafor, Ebube Duru, Awaziem, Onyeka, Chidera Ejuke, Onyedika, Lookman, Awoniyi
Second Half: Adeleye Adebayo – Zaidu, Dessers, Saviour Godwin, Kevin Akpoguma, Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Kenneth Omeruo
The Super Eagles will next tackle Algeria’s main team Tuesday night in Oran.