A first-half own goal by Semi Ajayi opened the scoring for the hosts at the Luzhniki Stadium before an error from Matvey Safonov gifted Tolu Arokodare his debut Super Eagles goal in the 71st minute, Soccernet.ng reports.
Eric Chelle’s side were under pressure for most of the first half, and only got out of their shell in the second half, although the Russians were brilliant in how they consistently beat the press from the Super Eagles frontline.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players following their 1-1 draw against the Russians.
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1. Maduka Okoye 6.7/10: The Udinese goalkeeper, on his 17th cap for the Super Eagles, couldn’t have done any better to save the own goal by Semi Ajayi. Otherwise, he had a decent outing in his return to the Nigerian National team, making three saves to keep the score level.
2. Bright Osayi-Samuel 6.1/10: The Fenerbahce full-back was beaten for pace when Russia broke the deadlock, and could’ve done better to prevent the cross from coming in. He was better in the second half.
3. William Troost-Ekong 6.1/10: The Super Eagles captain looked somewhat jittery, clearing the ball in positions where he would usually pass. His calm demeanour was absent today. However, he completed 83% of his attempted passes.
4. Semi Ajayi 5.5 /10: The absence of positional awareness caused the former West Bromwich Albion man to score against his own goalkeeper in the 27th minute. He attempted to redeem himself on the opposing end but his chance was well saved by Safonov.
5. Bruno Onyemaechi 5.8/10: The Olympiakos full-back, on several occasions, left Moses Simon stranded in attack on the left flank. To add, his deliveries were poor, and he didn’t complete any of the crosses he attempted.
6. Raphael Onyedika 6.5/10: The Club Brugge midfielder tried linking the midfield to the attack severally times, completing seven passes into the final third, but it led to nothing. His pass accuracy of 97% was the highest on the pitch.
7. Frank Onyeka 6.2/10: The Brentford midfielder was everywhere, covering for the absence of Wilfred Ndidi. It’s getting obvious that his best attributes are off the ball rather than on the ball, and he couldn’t help the team going forward.
8. Fisayo Ayodele-Bashiru 6.7/10: The Lazio midfielder, on his sixth appearance for the Super Eagles, looked out of position as Eric Chelle fielded him on the right flank. His attempt in the first half was parried by Sofanov. Overall, his work rate was impressive.
9. Moses Simon 6/10: The FC Nantes winger didn’t have his best game tonight. His set-piece deliveries were not on par, and none of his attempts to take on the Russian defenders succeeded.
10. Christantus Uche 6.1/10: The Getafe midfielder played just behind Victor Boniface, and struggled to make an impact on the game before he was withdrawn in the 76th minute. Instead, he kept drawing fouls.
11. Victor Boniface 6/10: A rare start for the Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward in the absence of Victor Osimhen and Cyriel Dessers, but he failed to capitalise. He never got going and completed just eight passes in 61 minutes at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Substitutes
Tolu Arokodare 6.9/10: Came on for his fourth Super Eagles game, and immediately made his impact felt by scoring the equaliser. Although his hold-up play was decent, his lay-offs handed possession back to the Russian players, and he has to improve to claim a permanent spot in Eric Chelle’s team.
Olakunle Olusegun: Replaced Christantus Uche in the 76th minute for his Super Eagles debut, but barely made any meaningful contribution.