Super Eagles’ struggles continue, analysis of Nigeria vs. Saudi Arabia friendly

The recent international friendly between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Saudi Arabia left football analysts questioning the team’s overall performance. Even though Kelechi Iheanacho’s 81st-minute goal gave Nigeria a brief lead, the team’s performance left much to be desired.

Victor Boniface’s deflected strike had canceled out Salman Al-Faraj’s opener for Saudi Arabia, and with seconds left in the game, Mohammaed Kanno scored from a free-kick, earning Saudi Arabia a 2-2 draw.

The match highlighted some of the persistent issues that have plagued the Super Eagles under the management of Jose Peseiro. Nomso Obiajuru, the Football Team Lead at Sports Brief, shared his insights on the game.

Obiajuru emphasized the need for the Super Eagles to function as a cohesive unit on the field and to be cautious about conceding unnecessary free kicks near their 18-yard box. Defending set pieces is another area that needs improvement.

While Nigeria boasts talented individual players, the team often struggles to perform well collectively. The game began with promise, and the Super Eagles had chances to take the lead within the first 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the team’s creativity waned, and they lost possession too frequently.

Bruno Onyemaechi’s performance on the left-back position was commendable, providing accurate crosses and creating scoring opportunities. Kelechi Iheanacho made an impact, coming on as a substitute and registering two shots on target, one of which found the back of the net. He demonstrated his sharpness compared to the player he replaced, Samuel Chukwueze.

Moses Simon proved his value by influencing the game, contributing an assist, and consistently threatening the opposition’s defense, something Ademola Lookman, his replacement, failed to do.

Victor Boniface also received praise for his early performance in the first half. His movement in the box led to Nigeria’s equalizer when a Saudi defender scored an own goal.

Conversely, Obiajuru criticized Ademola Lookman for missing a crucial chance at the end of the first half and losing possession too frequently. Samuel Chukwueze also missed a golden opportunity in the first half and struggled with maintaining possession.

Francis Uzoho, the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, did not have much to do during the match. He made an excellent save in the first half but conceded two goals in the second half from set pieces, one of which was a glaring mistake, and the other a wicked deflection.

Nigeria will play Mozambique in their next friendly match during this international window, and Obiajuru expects Peseiro to make some changes to the starting lineup. He suggested starting Moses Simon and Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of Chukwueze and Lookman. Obiajuru also expressed concern about defending set pieces, which may be a significant challenge for the Super Eagles at AFCON.