5 things we learnt from Super Eagles win over Libya

Nigeria’s Super Eagles ran out 3-2 winners over Libya in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier played on Tuesday, October 16.

Ahmed Musa netted once while Odion Ighalo grabbed a brace to help Nigeria take all the three points which took them top of Group E of the AFCON 2019 qualifiers.

These are five things we learnt from that game

1. Individual qualities save Eagles again

In the end, it was Ighalo who won the game for Nigeria with a brilliant 81st-minute goal after Rohr had failed to react tactically to save his team. Libya had come back from two goals down to equalise and were in the ascendency.

Rohr looked on as usual, unable to make tactically and personal changes that would turn the game around.

Rohr’s inability to quickly react to his team’s flaws during a game cost us during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and it almost did on Tuesday night before Ighalo’s brilliance saved Nigeria.

2. Uzoho not that reliable

While the quick succession of events that led to Francis Uzoho taking Super Eagles number one shirt at the 2018 FIFA World Cupmight make it look like he is a long-term solution, his performance against Libya on Tuesday shows that the search is still one.

Indeed, Uzoho has never looked the finished article, but he showed nothing against Libya to make anyone believe he will improve.

His organisational skills were poor, does not possess a huge sense of awareness and most importantly lack the required agility to make crucial saves.

3. Ighalo answers critics

At the press conference in Uyo before the first leg, Super Eagles boss Rohr had to answer questions on why he continues to call up Ighalo despite his lack of goals for the Super Eagles.

Before the game in Uyo, Ighalo had gone a year without scoring for Nigeria and following a poor World Cup campaign, it was getting hard to justify the striker’s call-up to the Super Eagles.

There is, however, a section of critics who have always argued that Ighalo’s lack of goals for the Super Eagles was a question on the formation and systems he has played in, not his quality.

With his brace on Tuesday, which meant he has now scored five goals in two games for Nigeria, Rohr and Ighalo’s believers have been vindicated.

4. Iwobi is Super Eagles No. 10

While he didn’t control the Tuesday game enough in the No. 10 role as he did in the first leg, Alex Iwobi showed glimpses of why he should remain in that position for a long time.

He carved the Libyan defence open with his pass to Ahmed Musa which led to the Super Eagles opening goal and troubled the opposition defence with his movement and passes around the area.

5. Collins not good enough for Super Eagles

With Elderson Echiéjilé out of the team and Brian Idowu not reliable enough, Jamilu Collins has gotten enough time to prove his worth and sadly he has failed.

Against Libya on Tuesday, the SC Paderborn 07 defender didn’t show enough to be trusted as the first-choice left back of the Super Eagles. He was easy to beat and didn’t provide a channel for the attack down the left.