Ola Aina would easily make it into [Manchester] United’s squad, a Nigerian said after the game. In a game that featured lots of unappealing displays from a bunch of the Super Eagles players – individually – and, as a team, Nigerians have praised two of its players for their standout display against Ghana.
The Super Eagles failed to shine on Thursday against the Black Stars of Ghana after both sides shared the spoils in the first leg of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier playoffs.
Both teams – having two shots on target each – played with vigor but found no goals that could provide an edge to securing a spot in the November tournament in Qatar.
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Ghana had the best of the first half but only came close to scoring once, when Abdul Fatawu Issahaku attempted a long-range shot.
Nigeria, on the other hand, was denied a chance to progress after VAR overturned a penalty decision by the referee.
Despite the unimpressive outing – in terms of performance – Nigerians took to social media after the game, to single out two players who towered above the rest.
1. Francis Uzoho
Uzoho played the role of ‘hero’ as Super Eagles shared the spoils with Ghana in Kumasi.
The goalkeeper who took the number one spot after Maduka Okoye withdrew from the election because of an illness, put up a brilliant display, pulling off interventions on two particular occasions.
His masterclass has seen Nigerians take to social media to reignite the conversations of who they believe should be the Super Eagles’ number one.
2. Ola Aina
Coming in at the Super Eagles’ right back, Aina was one of the two Nigerian players praised by Nigerians after Friday’s stalemate in Kumasi.
The Torino defender appeared unfazed by the atmosphere, repeatedly feeding the midfield with balls and setting the tone for Nigerian attacks that, for the most part, failed to get past the same midfield.
Aina also played with composure in defense while holding off Ghanaian attacks from his position – a performance that has seen some claim that “he would easily make it into [Manchester] United’s squad.”
