A brilliant finish from Cyriel Dessers and an own goal from Razak Simpson, all in the first-half, was enough to seal a place in the final for the Super Eagles of Nigeria against the Black Stars of Ghana at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, Soccernet.ng reports.
Eric Chelle’s side were dominant in the first half, keeping the Ghanians quiet but for a silly mistake by Stanley Nwabali. The resulting shot was parried by the Chippa United goalkeeper as he made up for his mistake.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they secured a 2-1 victory against Ghana.
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1. Stanley Nwabali 7/10: The Chippa United goalkeeper put up another solid performance in a Super Eagles jersey. He denied Ghana at the death to help Nigeria seal a final spot against Jamaica.
2. Sodiq Ismaila 6.6/10: The Remo Stars full-back on his first start for the Super Eagles had a decent game, providing an assist for the game’s opener. He somewhat struggled defensively and was given a yellow card for a rash challenge, although he did maintain discipline to keep his calm and to avoid getting sent off.
3.Igor Ogbu 6/10: The Slavia Prague central defender was decent on his Super Eagles debut. He strayed forward a few times, but nothing concrete came off the back of his little adventures.
4. Semi Ajayi 6.9 /10: The West Bromwich Albion defender put in a decent shift, and was heavily involved in the second goal. His header was deflected by Razak Simpson to double Nigeria’s advantage in the first half. He made way for Ifeanyi Onyebuchi in the 82nd minute.
5. Bruno Onyemaechi 6.2 /10: The Olimpiacos defender didn’t impact the attack as much as he would’ve liked today, and he was pegged back in the second half as Ghana attacked.
6. Frank Onyeka 6.7/10: Back home in front of the Brentford crowd at the Gtech Community Stadium, Onyeka was brilliant, particularly in the first half, anchoring the midfield with Ndidi to give Chukwueze the freedom to roam in attack.
7. Wilfred Ndidi 6.5/10: The presence of the Leicester City midfielder limited the number of attempts Ghana had on the Nigerian goal in the first half, but he became sloppy in possession and with his passes in the second half, and nearly cost the 2023 AFCON finalists an equalizer.
8. Papa Daniel 6/10: The Niger Tornadoes midfielder on his Super Eagles debut struggled to stamp his foot on the game, making too many silly and unnecessary fouls. He made way for Ahmed Musa in the 62nd minute.
9. Sikiru Alimi 6.9/10: The Remo Stars striker barely had a sniff of goal on his debut in the green and white colours of Nigeria, but his workrate was impeccable, and he linked up brilliantly with his striker partner, Cyriel Dessers.
10. Cyriel Dessers 7.6/10: The Rangers goalscorer made his presence felt by the Ghanaian defenders as he consistently troubled them. The SPFL Golden Boot winner showed Eric Chelle he’s well capable of leading the line in Osimhen’s absence as his well-cushioned finish broke the deadlock in Brentford.
11. Samuel Chukwueze 7.1/10: Eric Chelle might be the first manager to get the best out of the AC Milan winger. He played through the middle today, and he looked very comfortable dribbling, creating chances, and bringing the target men into play.
Substitutes
Ahmed Musa 5.5/10: Came on for his 111th Super Eagles game, but he didn’t appear to be on any threat, largely because Ghana had already grown into the game, meaning he had to defend.
Moses Simon 5.5/10: Replaced Samuel Chukwueze in the number 10 position, but he looked lost, and would’ve been better placed on the flanks.
Kelechi Iheanacho 5.5/10: The former Leicester City attacker thought he’d found the back of the net, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. After the attempt, he didn’t get involved as much.
Chinemerem Ugwueze and Ifeanyi Onyebuchi didn’t make any notable impact in their eight minutes on the pitch.