AFCON 2021: Super Eagles player ratings vs Sudan: Chukwueze redeems himself, Moses is unplayable

The Super Eagles of Nigeria had a great performance, as they soared to a 3-1 victory against the Falcons of Sudan.

Goals from Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, and Taiwo Awoniyi were enough to see off all advances from the Sudanese. However, the clean sheet was marred due to  Ola Aina’s mistake, but they would not bother as the victory ensured that the Super Eagles would advance to the knockout stages.

Here is Soccernet’s review of the players and how they performed.

Maduka Okoye, 6.0/10: Maduka had a pretty silent game. He was hardly troubled due to the brilliance of the outfield players. However, his clean sheet was stained due to Aina’s mistake.

William Troost-Ekong, 6.5/10 : Captain Troost-Ekong had a good day marshalling his team. He was brilliant in defence and was always calm when faced with dangerous attacks. He gave the Sudanese a tough time against him, as he used his strength to his advantage.

The Watford man also went forward when he noticed that the Sudanese were struggling to defend the aerial balls, and he was a significant threat in front of goal.

Kenneth Omeruo, 6.5/10: The Leganes centre back had a solid game. Once again, he had a good pairing with Troost-Ekong. He was never dribbled past, and he snuffed out danger whenever it came coming.

Ola Aina, 6.5/10: The former Chelsea man put up another outstanding performance at right-back. He was solid in defence, batting away every attack that came his way, and his attacking game was also top-notch. His darting runs always gave the Sudanese something to think about.

However, his night was marred after he caused the penalty, which Walieldin Khidir slotted past Maduka.

Zaidu Sanusi, 6.5/10: Zaidu had a good day running the left wing with Moses Simon. The Porto man put up a solid defensive show, and he also put up an excellent tackle to win the ball when the Sudanese had a dangerous attack in the second half.

He also had a good attacking game, his crosses were dangerous, and his work rate was massive.

Joe Aribo, 7.5/10 : Aribo brought his Ragers form to the national team. He was superb against Egypt, and he was outstanding against Sudan. The 26-year-old was good in midfield, and his transition to attack was seamless. He could have scored late in the first half, but his close-range shot just went painfully wide.

Wilfred Ndidi, 7.5/10: The Leicester City midfielder again proved his worth. Ndidi was solid in the game. Although he lost his grip on the midfield after Nigeria scored the first goal, he managed to pull it back together. His ball retention was good, and his partnership with Aribo was seamless.

Samuel Chukwueze, 7.5/10: The Villarreal forward played only the first half. He improved on his performance against Egypt. His third-minute goal was an exquisite finish.

Chukwueze made positive forward runs, and he always looked to run into space. He put some good passes behind the Sudanese defence, which Iheanacho and Awoniyi failed to convert. His dribbling always kept the Sudanese defence guessing, but his decision making was poor at times.

Kelechi Iheanacho, 6.5/10: The Leicester City man did not cover himself in glory, unlike the game against Egypt. He failed to convert his chances, but he did a good job transitioning from attack to defence.

Taiwo Awoniyi, 7/10: Awoniyi has a good game, he had a goal and an assist, but he knew nothing about both of them. His goal was a deflected save, which hit him unknowingly, and his assist for Moses’ goal wasn’t planned, as it was off a poor control.

Moses Simon, 9/10: The Nantes forward is setting himself up to win the player of the tournament. His crosses were on point today, and once again, it was his cross that led to the first goals. The 26-year-old caused trouble with his pace and dribbling ability. He started the play for the third goal, and he ended it with a beautiful finish.

Substitutes

Alex Iwobi 6/10: Iwobi replaced Chukwueze at halftime, but he did not really do much on the right, his touches were good, but he did not offer much upfront.

Sadiq Umar and Nwakali did not make their presence felt, although they did not have enough time on the pitch.