U20 World Cup: Nigeria 2-1 Dominican Republic

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria kicked off their Under-20 World Cup campaign on a good note. They defeated the Dominican Republic 2-1 thanks to an own goal from Guillermo de Pena and a second-half strike from Samson Lawal.

Coach Ladan Bosso’s boys put up a strong performance, dominating play and creating a lot of opportunities. They could have scored more if not for their profligacy in front of goal.

Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Flying Eagles players.

Chijioke Aniagboso 6.8/10: The Flying Eagles goalie had a decent game. He had pretty little to do as Nigeria bossed play. The goal he conceded was off the penalty spot, but he made two saves. Aniagboso looked assured in goal and had good communication with his defenders.

Abel Ogwuche 6.7/10: Njoku had a strong display in defense. He answered promptly whenever he was called to action, and he hardly put a foot wrong.

Benjamin Fredrick 6.4/10: Fredrick caused the penalty that the Dominican Republic profited from. But he recovered from his mistake and put in a strong performance.

Daniel Bameyi 6.6/10: Bameyi had a good game. He didn’t add much to the Flying Eagles’ attack, but he was sturdy in the defense. He was caught off guard a few times, but it was a decent performance overall.

Solomon Agbalaka 6.9/10: Agbalaka was very adventurous, he often bumped up to support the Flying Eagles’ attack. He was unable to score or assist but his work rate was superb. He did not have much defending to do.

Tochukwu Nnadi 6.8/10: The 19-year-old midfielder had a decent showing in midfield. He looked sharp, but his use of the ball was poor at times. Nonetheless, he was positive and always looked to attack.

Daniel Daga 7.1/10: Ogbelu was great in the middle of the park. His ball distribution was good and he made some great tackles to recover possession. He used his strength to bully his opponents and he hardly put a foot wrong.

Samson Lawal 7.4/10: Lawal scored the second goal for Nigeria. He looked sharp in attack and was always ready to press. His work rate eventually paid off as his goal was off his readiness to put pressure on the Dominican Republic players.

Salem Fargo 6.4/10: Salem Fargo had a few chances to score, but he failed to convert. Nonetheless, he was full of running and often tried to force mistakes from the Dominican Republic’s defense.

Sunday Jude 6.1/10: Jude had an average game. His work rate was great, and he used his strength to his advantage. But his decision-making could have been better.

Ibrahim Muhammad 6.6/10: Muhammad had a decent game. But his final balls failed him occasionally. His trickery and pace made it hard for opposing defenders to defend him. But he could have done better