The Super Eagles of Nigeria under the tutelage of Jose Peseiro kicked off their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on a winning note after coming from a goal down against Sierra Leone.
The Leone Stars had taken a suprise lead courtesy of a Jonathan Morsay header after beating Nigerian defender, Calvin Bassey to nod home. John Keister's men almost came close to doubling their lead after a shot from their attacker hit the woodwork following a brilliant save from Francis Uzoho.
The Super Eagles who started sluggishly, however picked up their tempo and responded as Alex Iwobi after a neat passing with Nantes winger Moses Simon equalized to make it 1-1 in the 16th minute of play.
Victor Osimhen gave the Super Eagles the lead in the 41st minute after Torino defender Ola Aina swung in a cross from the right wing, which Moses Simon head down for Oshimen to slot in to make it 2-1 in favour of Nigeria before the half time break.
The Super Eagles tried to extend their lead in the second half, as again Victor Oshimen during the 55th minute of play released Samuel Chukwueze down the right flank, but the Villarreal man failed to convert the clear cut chance.
Nigeria would hold on to earn Jose Peseiro his first victory as Super Eagles Manger after the Portuguese coach had lost his first two games in charge of the national team in a friendly against Mexico and Ecuador respectively.
However as coach Jose Peseiro celebrate his first win in charge of the Super eagles, they are some positives and Negatives which was noticed in the course of the game which he'll need to address going forward.
Things we noticed:
◾Defensive Department not Solidified:
The pairing of Ekong and Semi Ajayi some how looked calamitous, the pair wasn't looking all that convincing, as they were some strings of wrong passes from both players and they were shaky at times.
Troost-Ekong was beaten way too easily by Musa Noah Kamara in a one-on-one situation while Ajayi lacked awareness. Although aerially both were excellent, but the game today really highlighted the fact that both of them don't complement each other.
But overall there's always room for improvement, and since it's a new manager who hasn't spend much time with the team. We hope as time goes on he finally gets his center backs pairing correctly.
◾Francis Uzoho not Solid:
Although he wasn't really tested in the game and wasn't that troubled, but his poor communication with Ajayi in the 59th minute of play would've have led to an equalizer from Sierra Leone striker Amadou Bakayoko.
Uzoho was indeed lucky as the striker's poked attempt hit the side netting after he was well beaten. This is one of the department coach Peseiro will have to look into going forward.
◾ Possession-Based football:
The Super eagles dominated the Leone stars all round and this could be testament to the way the Portuguese tactician has said he wants his team to play.
When asked during the Post match presser he was quoted as saying:
"We are better than Sierra Leone in this game, we deserve to win. We changed the setup in the second half, I think it was only the last 10 minutes our opponent had some good moments."
"We created a lot of scoring chances, we could have won with a bigger margin, but the team needs more time and we must work."
◾ Victor Oshimen Impressive yet again:
The Napoli man highlighted his importance to the team on his return, as he tormented the Sierra Leone defense, chase down long balls from Calvin Bassey, and went close twice with a header.
It goes to show how he's important to this team, and how vital he'll be to Coach Peseiro going forward.
◾Tactical Risk Taker:
Coach Peseiro has showed us why he isnt afraid to take risk. The Portuguese tactician started the game against Sierra Leone without a Defensive midfielder to provide cover for the defense.
The Nigerian midfield comprised of Iwobi/Aribo was very vulnerable for the Sierra Leone attackers to prey on, and it was not untill the second half that Oghenekaro Etebo was sent in to provide cover for the defense.
When asked about this he replied:
"I can play any player, I make the final decision. If I ask you, to give me your XI, it will be different from others.I believe in my players, it's my responsibility to select the players according to our plans."
Nigeria will next play Sao Tome and Principe in their second group game on June 13 in Agadir, Morrocco as they try to consolidate their lead at the top of the group.