Tolu Arokodare was the hero for Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles as Nigeria secured all three points against the Amavubis of Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Soccernet.ng reports.
The three-time AFCON Champions thought they’d taken the lead in the first ten minutes of the game via Victor Osimhen, only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside.
The Galatasaray forward was taken off in the 35th minute in what looked like an ankle injury and was replaced by Cryiel Dessers, who officially became cap-tied for Nigeria.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they secured a 1-0 win over Rwanda in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
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1. Christian Nwabali 6.2/10: The Chippa United goalkeeper, surprisingly, didn’t have his usual calm demeanour today.
Giving away cheap fouls, picking fights with the opposition and getting an unnecessary yellow card marred a clean sheet for the 29-year-old.
2. Ola Aina 6.5/10: The Nottingham Forest full-back had a decent game. He kept things tight at the back and had the entire right flank to himself.
He was involved in Nigeria’s opener as his saved attempt paved the way for Arokodare’s acrobatic volley.
3. Benjamin Frederick 6.8/10: The FCV Dender defender was excellent in defence on his official debut for the three-time AFCON Champions.
Considering he was thrown into the starting line-up in place of William Troost-Ekong, he did no wrong.
4. Calvin Bassey 6.9 /10: The Fulham defender put in a decent shift, completing 95% of his passes. He got down into his duels and won the majority of them.
5. Bruno Onyemaechi 6.2 /10: The Olympiacos defender didn’t have much to worry about defensively, but his involvement in attack was very poor.
He barely connected with the attackers in front of him, and none of his attempted crosses found a target in the opposition box.
6. Wilfred Ndidi 6.6/10: The Besiktas midfielder started the game with a few heavy touches, but settled in as time went on.
He captained the team in Ekong’s absence and kept things tight in the middle of the park as the game went on.
7. Frank Onyeka 6.3/10: The presence of the Brentford midfielder limited the number of attempts the Amavubi had on the Nigerian goal.
Unfortunately, he was sacrificed at half-time as Eric Chelle took him out to bring in Wolves striker, Tolu Arokodare.
8. Alex Iwobi 6.8/10: The Fulham midfielder probed the Rwandan defence with key passes in the first half, but dropped deeper in the second half.
His only attempt on goal stung the palms of the Rwanda goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwari.
9. Moses Simon 6.8/10: The FC Paris winger came close to finding the back of the net himself, but his shot stung the gloves of Fiacre Ntwari.
He huffed and puffed, completing a few take-ons on the night, but there was no end product from his crosses down the left.
10. Ademola Lookman 6.6/10: The Atalanta forward wasn’t at his best, and it appeared he’s still struggling with fitness issues.
Additionally, he played away from his area of strength as Eric Chelle played the CAF Player of the Year in a central role. He made way for Dele-Bashiru in the 75th minute.
11. Victor Osimhen 5.5/10: The Galatasaray man thought he’d scored, but his goal was chalked off for offside. He picked up an ankle injury just after the half-hour mark and had to be replaced by Cyriel Dessers.
Substitutes
Cyriel Dessers 6/10: The Panathinaikos striker replaced Victor Osimhen and only had a chance to make his impact felt, but the attempt was deflected.
Surprisingly, he was withdrawn in the closing minutes and was replaced by William Troost-Ekong as Eric Chelle looked to protect Nigeria’s slender lead.
Tolu Arokodare 7.5/10: The Wolverhampton Wanderers forward changed the dynamic of the Super Eagles’ attack immediately he stepped onto the pitch in the 46th minute.
He battled for every aerial duel and eventually his attempts paid off as he scored Nigeria’s only goal tonight, his second in a Super Eagles jersey.
Fisayo Ayodele-Bashiru 6/10: The Lazio midfielder closed up the midfield after he came on, giving Ndidi and Alex more comfort as the Super Eagles sat back to take all three points home.
Bright Osayi-Samuel and William Troost-Ekong came on in the 87th minute to help Nigeria seal the win.