AFCON 2023: Lookman, Osimhen, Troost-Ekong and Nigeria’s best players in Cote d’Ivoire so far

Nigeria zoomed into the semifinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Angola 1-0 on Friday courtesy of Ademola Lookman’s expertly-taken first-half strike.

It is Nigeria’s 16th appearance in the last-four stage of the continental champions in only 20 attempts.

Interestingly, the Super Eagles have remained unbeaten at the 34th edition of Africa’s biggest football festival, recording four wins and one draw.

Jose Peseiro’s men opened their campaign with a thrilling 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea and followed it up with an excellent 1-0 win over hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

The three-time champions rounded up their Group A campaign with another slender 1-0 victory against Guinea-Bissau to finish as runners-up behind the Equatoguineans.

Nigeria’s most impressive victory came against Cameroon in the Round of 16, where a double from Lookman fired the Super Eagles to a 2-1 triumph over the Indomitable Lions.

The Atalanta forward then got the job done for Nigeria against the Angolans in the quarterfinals to confirm their date with South Africa in the semifinals.

Who have been Nigeria’s best players so far?

According to Whoscored, William Troost-Ekong has been Nigeria’s finest and most consistent performer at the AFCON.

The centre-defender, who netted the goal that shot down Cote d’Ivoire on matchday two and has been a rock in defence for the Eagles, has a rating of 7.32.

He is followed closely by Calvin Bassey (7.16), Ademola Lookman (7.09), and Victor Osimhen (7.06).

Lookman is Nigeria’s top goal contributor, having found the back of the net three times and provided an assist. Osimhen and Troost-Ekong are the Super Eagles’ only other goalscorers.

Of the players who have made three or more appearances, Moses Simon and Calvin Bassey are Nigeria’s top dribblers, with a similar 0.8 dribbles per game. Samuel Chukuweze and Joe Aribo come a close joint second at 0.7 each, while Ola Aina makes his appearance at 0.6.

Lookman (1.8 per game), Aina (1.4), Chukwueze (1.3), and Osimhen (1.2) are the top men for the Super Eagles in the key passes division.

Osimhen’s 3.8 shots per game is the highest in the squad, while no one has been fouled more times than Lookman.

Only West Brom’s Semi Ajayi has played every minute of Nigeria’s five matches in Ivory Coast.

Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, and Frank Onyeka (in that order) are Nigeria’s top tacklers overall, while Onyeka and Ajayi have made the most interceptions.

It is, however, Troost-Ekong who has made more blocks and more clearances in the Super Eagles squad. The PAOK defender has also dominated the air, winning 4.3 aerial duels per game – a statistic bettered only by Osimhen’s 4.8 dpg.

Coach Peseiro will be counting on his key players to bring their A-game to the plate when Nigeria trade tackles with South Africa on Wednesday.