Two wins in a row, four goals scored and one conceded. It's been a dream start for the Super Eagles at AFCON as their chase for title number four continues.
The consensus among Nigerians after the Egypt victory was that the team was dominant but needed to be more lethal in their finishing. The Super Eagles delivered just that against Sudan with a comprehensive 3-1 victory.
Samuel Chukwueze opened the scoring after just two minutes with Taiwo Awoniyi capitalizing on a mixup at the back to add a fortuitous second (his first international goal for Nigeria) right before halftime. Moses Simon completed the scoring barely a minute after the second half started with a composed finish past Ali Abu-Esherin in the Sudan goal.
Ola Aina conceded a penalty after an off ball challenge in the box was rightly spotted and called by VAR which meant Sudan were able to pull one back through a Walieldin Khidir spot kick.
Nigeria continued their early tournament habit of creating high quality chances in open play with Taiwo Awoniyi hitting the woodwork after reacting quickest to a loose ball from point blank range and Joe Aribo dragging his shot wide from an Awoniyi cutback.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s inflence in the tournament once again grew in the second game. His goal might have come with a bit of luck but he still had to be in the right position to convert. With his constant movement off the ball and general anticipation of where openings might arrive has shown Nigerian fans who hadn't previously seen the striker play exactly why he is one of the top scorers in the German Bundesliga.
Moses Simon put in another good performance on the left wing on Saturday and capped it off with a goal as shouts for him becoming player of the tournament continues to gain momentum. He was once again at the heart of most things good in the Super Eagle’s offence.
Samuel Chukwueze’s early goal will come as a relief for the 22-year-old who couldn't get it going against Egypt. He had some bright spots here and there but it was a largely underwhelming performance once again. His position on the right flank might be in jeopardy come matchday three depending on Chidera Ejuke’s performance against Guinea Bissau or a formation change.
The match ended with Nigeria being comfortable at the end but the performance was not perfect.
Nigeria’s defence was solid for most of the game but the Super Eagles had to depend on more intervention from center backs making tackles at the last minute.
William Troost-Kompan- I mean Ekong dealt with a lot of Sudanese attacks with great composure and strength, dispossessing attackers without lunging into tackles and just being a calm influence throughout. He was very composed on the ball under pressure as well in a performance where he barely put a foot wrong.
Nigeria’s Formation
The 4-4-2 has been Nigeria’s preferred formation so far in the tournament with the wingers pushing up to create a 4-2-4 shape sometimes as they provide width. Joe Aribo pushed forward from midfield at times and fullbacks were also instructed to overlap which sometimes meant that Nigeria’s restdefence was poor and couldn't stop transitions easily.
There were a lot of gaps in midfield and in behind the overlapping defenders which Sudan attacked to little success because of the good defensive work done by Nigeria’s central defenders.
It is an issue which needs to be addressed before the knockout stages, most likely with a formation change. The 4-4-2/4-2-4 will not be sustainable. When facing teams like Ivory Coast, who play with three in midfield and have fast wingers who are great at ball carrying in transition, Nigeria might struggle with a numbers disadvantage in midfield in such situations.
A formation change to a 4-3-3 may be in order. Moving Kelechi Ihenacho to the right wing in order for him to play as an inside forward with Ola Aina on the overlap beyond him as well as bringing in one of Kelechi Nwakali who has been Augustine Eguavoen preferred midfield substitute so far or Frank Onyeka, who is a more defensive minded central midfielder into the starting lineup. This will give Nigeria some much needed solidity and protection in midfield. It will also allow Joe Aribo the license to go forward and show more of his offensive abilities. The less space the midfield (particularly Wilfred Ndidi) has to cover, the better.
Maduka Okoye didn't have much to do in goal but had some shaky moments under no pressure. Hopefully it's just a one off because he may be called upon more often going into the knockout stages.
Two wins for Nigeria means they have secured qualification to the next round with six points on the board. This gives Augustine Eguavoen the opportunity to rest players and even try a new system before the knockout stages begin.
The Super Eagles will be favorites to win their third match against Guinea Bissau and maintain a 100% record heading out of the group. Keep it at a 100% till the end of the tournament and title number four is ours.