The Flying Eagles were painfully eliminated by Gambia in the semifinal, but they redeemed themselves against Tunisia
Nigeria's Under-20 team, the Flying Eagles destroyed Tunisia 4-0 at the Cairo International Stadium to claim third place at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
It was arguably the best performance from the team in the competition. They looked better and more deadly in front of goal, and they showed more chemistry in the final third.
Soccernet NG rates the players' performances.
Chijioke Aniagboso 7/10: The Flying Eagles shot-stopper had a good game. He was hardly disturbed during the entire game. He made two saves, and he showed great command of his area.
Daniel Bameyi 7.7/10: Bameyi had a super game. He was solid in defense, and he supplied an assist.
Benjamin Frederick 7.3/10: Frederick was great in defense. He stopped everything that came his way and was aggressive when dealing with threats.
Abel Ogwuche 7.3/10: He put up another defensive masterpiece. Ogwuche was solid in the heart of the defense.
Samson Lawal 7.9/10: Lawal was good in defense. His work rate was super. His passing was off at times, but he was full of running. He had two assists.
Onuche Ogbelu 6.9/10: The 19-year-old midfielder had a decent game. His marking was great, but he did not really stamp his authority in midfield enough.
Caleb Ochedikwu 6.7/10: He got his first minutes for Nigeria. He saw 67 minutes of action. His passing was off a few times, but he gave a good account of himself.
Ibrahim Muhammad 8.0/10: Muhammad played one of his best games. He had a goal and an assist to his name. He showed lots of pace, and his dribbling was good. He was a thorn in the flesh of the Tunisians.
Ahmed Abdullahi 7.6/10: The Gent man had a decent game. He scored the opener for Nigeria. He could have done better on a few occasions but it was not a bad performance overall.
Sunday Jude 8.8: Jude got his first start for Nigeria, and he made an impact. He scored a brace on the night. He looked deadly from the right and was always willing to run at Tunisian defenders.
Where were they all these while? Ithey are gradually becoming like the team that played in wafu B.
I know in tournament like this you don’t show case all your tactics but you can be conservative and still impress.