Kelechi Iheanacho’s second half strike secures 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe – Player ratings

The Super Eagles travelled to Zimbabwe to set things right after an opening-day disappointment in Uyo against Lesotho, playing a 1-1 draw.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria came from behind to overturn a goal deficit at the Stade Huye in Zimbabwe, thanks to a cushioned side-foot finish from Kelechi Iheanacho, Soccernet.ng reports.

Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Super Eagles against The Warriors of Zimbabwe.

Francis Uzoho 5.5/10:  The Omonia S.C. goalkeeper, perhaps could have done better to position himself to prevent Walter Musona’s stunning free-kick from going into the back of the net.

Ola Aina 5.0/10: The Nottingham Forest full-back struggled to impose himself in the game, and was replaced by Bright-Samuel Osayi during the half-time break.

Semi Ajayi 6.5/10: Partnered with Calvin-Bassey in central defence once again, the duo showed more synergy and communication in working together.

Calvin Bassey 6.5/10: Bassey had a good game, creating a chance himself, and remaining rock-solid at the back.

Sopuruchukwu Onyemaechi 6.5/10: The Boavista left-back had another decent outing in a Super Eagles shirt and looked promising for the most part. He was replaced by Jamilu Collins with five minutes left on the clock.

Frank Onyeka 6/10: The Brentford midfielder was the man making things tick in the middle. Although he didn’t offer much offensively, he picked up loose balls and did his best to cover for the defence.

Alex Iwobi 7/10: The Fulham midfielder played in a more reserved role than he would usually do to accommodate the coach’s tactics. He completed seven passes into the final third.

Joe-Ayodele Aribo 6.5/10: The Southampton man had a very shaky first half but got more involved in the second, and his through ball created the chance that led to Nigeria’s equalizer.

Moses Simon 6.5/10: The Nantes man was relentless in running, and his work rate proved vital as he got ahead of a defender to cut back for Iheanacho’s goal.

Nathan Tella 5/10: Certainly not the debut the Leverkusen man would’ve dreamed of. The 24-year-old looked so lost and struggled to get into the rhythm of the game and had to be replaced by half-time.

Terem Moffi 6.5/10: The OGC Nice forward struggled once again in front of goal. With chances barely coming by, the forward had a very quiet game, before making way for Omar Sadiq.

Substitutes

Bright Osayi-Samuel 6.5/10: The Fernabache full-back came on at the start of the second half and looked to be a better option than Aina.

Kelechi Iheanacho 7.5/10: Everything looked better with Iheanacho at the heart of it. He came at the start of the second-half and his cushioned side-foot effort made sure Peseiro’s men left the Stadium with a point. For many, they’d prefer the Leicester City forward in the starting eleven to help the strikers up front create chances.

Victor Boniface 5.5/10: The 22-year-old was part of Peseiro’s half-time triple substitution, but his addition couldn’t bring a win for the Super Eagles.

Sadiq Umar: Umar came on for only thirteen minutes and couldn’t make much of an impact.

Jamilu Collins: Collins could have cost the team the only point after a clumsy foul in the dying minutes of the game. Luckily, the resulting free-kick was blocked by the wall.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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