Iheanacho flops, Osimhen shines: Player Ratings from Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic

Mohamed Tijjani opened the scoring for the Republic in the 16th minute, profiting from a well-executed set piece by Gernot Rohr’s side. Victor Osimhen missed a sitter in the first half, but made amends by leaping highest to score from a Moses Simon cross in the 81st minute.

It wasn’t the best of displays from Augustine Eguavoen’s side, but they managed to leave the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny with a point.

Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they drew against the Benin Republic in their AFCON 2025 Qualifier.

1. Christian Nwabali 6/10: The Chippa United goalkeeper could have done much better for Benin’s goal, but made up for it with a brilliant save later in the game. Overall, he was composed as usual, and grew into the game as it progressed.

2. Ola Aina 5.8/10: The Nottingham Forest full-back constantly made runs into the attacking half of the opposition in the first half, holding the right flank down. He looked to be out of energy in the second half, and all of the passes and runs he attempted were half-hearted. He made way for Fernabahce’s Osayi-Samuel in the 82nd minute.

3. Gabriel Osho 5/10: The AJ Auxerre centre-back struggled with the intensity of the game in the first-half, and was withdrawn at the break as the coach opted for a back four after the restart. His performance can be partially excused as he’s only just getting to the grasps of African football.

4. William Troost Ekong 5.8/10: The Al-Kholood central defender remained composed at the back, but struggled after the restart when Eguavoen switched to a back four. The Netherlands-born Nigerian captain also lost the ball in crucial areas in the second half when he attempted to play out from the back.

5. Calvin Bassey 5.8/10: The Fulham defender was shaky in the first-half, and constantly got caught in two minds. Heavy touches, misplaced passes and mistimed tackles defined Bassey’s first half.

His on the ball decisions were very questionable, but his off the ball actions got better, as he dealt really well with Augsburg’s Steve Mounie.

6. Bruno Onyemaechi 6.3/10: The Boavista left-back put in a decent effort by making runs down the left. He created Nigeria’s only chance of the first-half, which was missed by Osimhen.

Defensively, he could have done better, but the team set-up meant he’d have loads of ground to always cover.

7. Wilfred Ndidi 6.5/10: The Leicester City midfielder won the most duels on the pitch tonight. He played as the only holding midfielder, and due to this, the midfield sometimes looked empty.

He put in a heck of a shift towards the end of the game, making sure the Super Eagles made no silly defensive mistakes.

8. Alex Iwobi 6/10: The former Arsenal player didn’t have the best of games this evening. Like Bassey, he had a forgettable first-half, but his second half was slightly better. He created a chance for Onyemaechi after the restart, but the shot was well wide.

He made way for Victor Boniface in the 72nd minute.

9. Ademola Lookman 6/10: The Atalanta man struggled to muster any positive action tonight. Lookman huffed here and puffed there, but his passes were short and dribbles were barely completed. The game blew past him offensively, but he recovered by helping the defense out.

He made way for Onyeka in the 91st minute.

10. Kelechi Iheanacho 4.5/10: The poor form of the Sevilla forward was evident tonight. The ex-Leicester City man was in several positions to create in the first half, but he held onto the ball too long and struggled to make the right choice. When he finally released the ball, the chance was gone. He was taken off at half-time, with Moses Simon coming on in his stead.

11. Victor Osimhen 7/10: The Galatasaray striker scored a brilliant header in the 81st minute to level the scores, but things could have been different if he didn’t miss a clear-cut chance in the first half. He was also caught offside many a times.

Substitutes

Moses Simon 6.5/10: The introduction of the FC Nantes winger injected some pace into the Super Eagles attack, and the decision to bring him on yielded dividends, as be provided a brilliant cross to assist Osimhen.

Raphael Onyedika 5.5/10: His introduction relieved Ndidi of some defensive workload in the middle of the park, but didn’t yield much offensively.

Victor Boniface 5/10: The Leverkusen striker came on in the 72nd minute, and got into a few decent positions, but he couldn’t conjure up anything solid. He constantly got into his own head and ended up messing the chances up.

Bright Osayi-Samuel and Frank Onyeka didn’t do anything worthy of note.