During the last International break, the Super Eagles drew 2-2 against Saudi Arabia and scraped a narrow win against ten-man Mozambique.
A second half equalizer from West Bromwich Albion’s Semi Ajayi helped Jose Peseiro’s men to a 1-1 draw against Lesotho despite a lackluster performance, Soccernet.ng reports.
Taking a deeper delve into the game, Soccernet.ng brings you five takeaways from the match that was played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
1. The Super Eagles missed Victor Osimhen.
The team had chances to score but were simply not clinical enough. Taiwo Awoniyi and Ademola Lookman came close to scoring, but they all lacked the deft finishing touch.
2. The Super Eagles need a creative midfielder.
Dating back to the last international friendly in October, the need for a creative midfielder has been evident and it showed again today.
The midfield duo of Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi couldn’t muster up anything tangible, as the Fulham midfielder was playing out of position and left a massive workload for Onyeka.
3. Starting four strikers won’t work for Peseiro.
The Portuguese tactician started Ademola Lookman, Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi and Victor Boniface.
While Iheanacho and Boniface dropped off into midfield to get the ball a few times, but the team struggled with synergy and communication as the four attackers made run in behind sometimes, leaving the midfield empty with no one to play the final pass.
4. Peseiro still not convincing.
The ex-Porto manager’s playing style has not been evident after being in charge for over a year. The display against Lesotho today was lacklustre and one might wonder what is to come for the upcoming AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast next year.
5. Semi Ajayi in good form after returning from injury.
The central defender missed a couple of games for his club side in the Championship and returned in the early days of November as he was slowly integrated into the side by Carlos Corberan.
Since then, the 29-year-old scored against Hull City two weeks ago and came up with Nigeria’s equalizer today.
