Nigeria made light work of Uganda in Fès on Tuesday evening as the Super Eagles strolled to a convincing 3-1 victory in their final group game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Head coach Eric Chelle made eight changes to the Super Eagles starting XI that defeated Tunisia 3-2 on Saturday.
Still, several Nigerian stars were too hot to handle for Uganda, who finished the game with ten men.
Here is how the Super Eagles rated in a game Nigeria dominated from start to finish.
Francis Uzoho – 6.2
Came in for the rested Stanley Nwabali and showed how much he has improved over the past couple of years.
Clean with his handling, composed under pressure and sharp with his distribution, Uzoho made no single error in 90 minutes. Tough for him not to keep a clean sheet.
Ryan Alebiosu – 6.5
Made his Super Eagles debut against Uganda and gave a good account of his quality. Alebiosu is certainly no Ola Aina but he showed willingness to join the attack and was decent in his primary defensive duties.
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Igoh Ogbu – 6.8
Preferred to Semi Ajayi as Calvin Bassey's centre-back partner and did a lot of good things on his AFCON debut. Has room for improvement with more minutes than the pitch.
Calvin Bassey – 7.0
Had a hard battle all game with Uganda's danger man Uche Ikpeazu. However, Bassey came out on top in most of the duels and gave Nigeria a strong defensive platform to build the win on.
Bruno Onyemaechi – 6.9
Confident display at left back from the Olympiacos defender. On the back of his showing against Tunisia and now Uganda, it may be difficult for Zaidu Sanusi to return to the starting lineup.
Raphael Onyedika – 9.2
First competitive start for Nigeria under Chelle and two goals at the AFCON, Onyedika enjoyed his best game for the Super Eagles.
Crisp with his passing and smart with his positioning, Onyedika capped an already fine display with two well-taken second-half goals. Man of the Match by some distance.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru- 7.7
Deployed at the centre of the park where his energy and quick change of pace were put to full use. Dele-Bashiru crowned his effort with the assist to Onuachu's opener, brilliantly finding space in the box before playing a delicious square pass.
Moses Simon – 7.4
Another excellent showing from the Paris FC winger who proved too slippery to stop for Ugandan defenders on numerous occasions.
Had a chance to get himself on the scoresheet late on but could not make a clean contact with the ball. Took the captain's band after Osimhen’s left the pitch.
Samuel Chukwueze – 9.0
Bagged two assists in a very lively performance against the Cranes. A constant menace on the right flank, Chukwueze constantly floated the ball towards Onuachu and Osimhen as he looked to take advantage of their heights.
Did well to help with the defensive work but his partnership with Alebiosu out wide will need time to blossom.
Good vision to spot Onyedika's run for the Club Brugge midfielder's first goal. Excellent run and assist for Onyedika's second goal. Just beaten to the Man-of-the-Match award following a top performance.
Victor Osimhen – 8.1
Handed the captain's armband in the absence of Wilfred Ndidi.
Usually a volatile figure, Osimhen stepped in to cool the frayed nerves of his teammates and Ugandan stars at different times as he embraced his leadership role on the pitch.
Came close to bagging a fine assist in the first half following one of his lung-bursting runs but Onuachu failed to convert the chance.
In the second half, he drew the foul that got the Ugandan goalkeeper sent off, handing Nigeria a man advantage. Unlucky not to add to his strike against Tunisia.
Paul Onuachu- 8.5
Scored Nigeria’s first goal after missing a glorious chance well-worked by Osimhen.
Played a part in the build-up to one of Onyedika’s goals as well. Held his own upfront and looked to connect with Osimhen severally.
A convincing display from the Trabzonspor man and he would hope he has shown Chelle that he could be a better foil for Osimhen than Akor Adams.
Substitutes
Chidozie Awaziem – 6.2
Came in at halftime for Bassey. Had a chance to score but missed wide of goal from close range.
Zaidu Sanusi – 6.0
Was introduced midway through the second half for Onyemaechi but had little impact on the game, save from a snapshot that was blocked in the Uganda box.
Tochukwu Nnadi – 6.1
Came on as a replacement for Onuachu. Show some tidy passing and lively movement to earn a couple of free kicks.
Akor Adams – NA
Salim Fago Lawal – NA
