The Super Eagles of Nigeria got off to a winning start in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign, claiming a 2-1 win over Tanzania in their opening game at Complexe Sportif De Fes.
Goals from Ademola Lookman and Semi Ajayi sealed the win for the three-time African champions, despite a nervy ending.
Some of the players on the night were quite impressive and distinguished themselves from the others. In this article, Soccernet.ng rates the performances of the players who did the business for Nigeria on the night.
Super Eagles’ Player Ratings
Stanley Nwabali 6.5: The Chippa United man was always not going to have a lot of work to do on a night. And indeed, he didn’t, as he faced a few shots. He conceded once, and he could have done better in that situation if he had come off his line a bit earlier.
Nonetheless, Nwabali was confident and commanding in goal, and that was good to see.
Calvin Bassey 7/10: Bassey was rock solid in the Super Eagles’ backline. His defending was ruthless, and he hardly put a foot wrong.
But those few seconds where there was a lapse in communication and focus at the back was what led to Tanzania’s goal. Asides from that, he was great, commanded his line, and partnered well with Semi Ajayi.
Semi Ajayi 7.7/10: Ajayi had a very good performance against Tanzania. He eased into the partnership with Bassey pretty well and held the ball pretty well.
Most importantly, he popped up with the opening goal that calmed Nigeria’s nerves and put them in the driving seat.
Bright Osayi-Samuel 6.5/10: The former Fenerbahce man did a decent job at right back for the Super Eagles. He defended well and offered his bit in the attack.
Some of his deliveries could have been better though. Overall, it was a very good performance from Osayi-Samuel.
Zaidu Sanusi 6.3/10: Sanusi had a decent showing for the Super Eagles. But there were just a few lapses in his game.
He couldn’t put in a decent delivery in the box, and he was found wanting a few times when the Tanzanians used his flank. Sanusi would have e to improve on his performance on the night.
Alex Iwobi 6.9: Iwobi had a good game for Nigeria. In the first half, he controlled the game from deep, linked well with the attackers and defenders, and did well with his defensive duties.
The Fulham man had a strong first half, but he disappeared at times in the second. But it was a decent showing overall.
Wilfred Ndidi 7.2/10: The new Super Eagles captain had one of his best games in a while in a Super Eagles shirt. He covered the entire pitch, his marking was decent, and his passing was brilliant.
Ndidi also had a few attacking forays and nearly scored at the end of the first half. He was a bit lost at times in the second half, but it was a good performance overall for the Besiktas man.
Samuel Chukwueze 7/10: The Fulham star had a splendid game for the Super Eagles. In fact, he was at the heart of everything good for Nigeria in the first half, albeit his decision making was questionable a few times.
In the second half, he struggled to affect the game as much. But it was a good 57 minutes of action from Chukwueze.
Ademola Lookman 7.6/10: Lookman had a very good game for Nigeria. He looked very sharp from the blast of the whistle and hardly gave the Taifa Stars any breathing space whenever they had the ball.
His ball usage was questionable at times, but that is normal for most attackers. He scored a beautiful goal to crown his efforts on the night.
Akor Adams 6.9/10: Adams had a very good game. He did not score, but impacted the game. The Sevilla man linked up well with Victor Osimhen in the final third and could have scored or earned an assist if he had a bit more luck on his side. Adams also his quota defensively, as he often tracked back to mark the Tanzanian players.
Victor Osimhen 6/10: The Galatasaray star had a decent showing on the night. He looked sharp, he offered effort, and brought morale.
But he failed with his primary task of the night which was to score goals. Osimhen had multiple good looks at goal which he failed to capitalize on. Osimhen definitely should have scored on the night, but perhaps, he didn’t bring his clinical boots.
More to follow…