Nigeria 1-0 Tanzania: Kelechi Iheanacho, Mikel Obi & Manuli dazzle (Match report)
Nigeria defeated Tanzania 1-0 on Saturday evening after a high tempo 2017 African Nations qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio stadium, Uyo.
It
was an opportunity for new foreign technical adviser Gernot Rohr to see
his new squad & evaluate them ahead of Russia 2018 qualifiers as
Nigeria had already missed out on AFCON 2017 qualification so the
matched bared no significance to the Super Eagles.
The
Super Eagles attack was dominated by Premier League stars – Mikel,
Victor Moses (Chelsea), Odion Ighalo (Watford), Kelechi Iheanacho
(Manchester City) and Ahmed Musa (Leicester City)
Iheanacho
had an early chance in the second minute but fluffed his lines at the
beginning of the match after Tanzania started the kick off.
Nigeria
had a free kick in the 5th minute and after some indecision as to who
will take it between Mikel Obi and Victor Moses , Moses flashed the free
kick into the side netting.
Ahmed Musa then
dribbled through two defenders and gave a stylish through pass to Moses
which he wasted by playing a lazy shot to the Tanzanian goalkeeper Aishi
Manuli.
Nigeria were still pressing in the
first ten minutes of the match and Ahmed Musa after a cut back from
Mikel Obi made a lazy shot at the goalkeeper. The Nigerian team were
showing some energy but Ahmed Musa, Ighalo and Moses weren't showing
enough finesse in front of goal.
The Tanzanians gave the Super Eagles backline a scare but the ruffle was quickly shut out by Carl Ikeme and Leon Balogun.
In
the 24th minute, Iheanacho had a chance in front of goal and chose
precision rather than power as his curling left footed shot was punched
away by Manuli.
Nigeria continued to dominate and Mikel gave a
wonderful pass to Moses who shot for the sky, as he wasted another
precious opportunity to open the scoreline.
Iheanacho
gave a pass to Odion Ighalo, who had been wasteful up till this moment
and the Ajegunle product while trying to dribble through a defendergot
dispossesed.
All the while Mikel kept showing his class with
well timed and creatively executed passes, but the front line kept
wasting the ball.
Victor Moses with some good footwork made his way through the near post but the ball was saved by goalkeeper Manuli.
Victor Moses after a through ball wasted the ball again despite Iheanacho being open.
Nigeria had good intentions, pace on the wings and imagination but the decison making in the final third was lacking.
Ighalo
in the 38th minute made his best effort in the match after he
side-dummied a Tanzanian defender and shot at the goalkeeper resulting
in a corner kick.
Tanzania came forward but couldn't negotiate past Leon Balogun and Carl Ikeme.
Tanzania's
goalkeeper Manuli pulled another save from Ighalo, Balogun made a
wonderful interception at Nigeria's back-line, then Manuli made another
wonderful save from Iheanacho's left footed shot.
At the cusp
of halftime the stadium erupted after some wonderful interplay and mazy
run between Victor Moses and Nigeria's left back to which Moses shot
over the net.
It was still a wonder as to how
the Super Eagles were still being held to a draw by Tanzania as the
Tanzanians were there for the taking.
Half Time! Nigeria 0-0 Tanzania
The second half started with still the same storyline.
Everyone
had a shot at goal- from Iheanacho to Onazi, Moses and Ighalo. Mikel
had three chances, one with his head and two with his legs but Manuli-
definitely the man of the match made save upon save upon save.
Mikel,
who dis everything he could to score in this match, was substituted for
Wilfred Ndidi at the hour mark as Nigeria. Ndidi moved to defensive
midfield while Onazi went to take up Mikel Obi's position.
Rohr
will be hoping he gets his strikers to learn how to score during
matches as Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria are totally different
oppositions and will not give Nigeria as much space as Tanzania did in
this match.
Ighalo was finally substituted for Ideye as coach Rohr aimed for more potency in front of goal.
After so much hustle and bustle, this was it. Goal!!!
Man
City's Kelechi Iheancho finally broke the Manuli curse at the 78th
minute. The left footed striker took the ball from the corner flag area
and passed through a defender before shooting a powerfully placed shot
into the net.
The Uyo stadium came alive! This was what Nigerians had been yearning for.
The
Tanzanians started pressing forward, hoping to open up space and attack
the Nigerians all to no avail. The partnership between William Troost
Ekong and Leon balogun should also be commended, as they showed so much
composure and tenacity at the backline.
Nigeria's
new coach Gernot Rohr will be hoping that this win is the beginning of
so many other wins as the Super Eagles aim for Russia 2018.
Photo credit: Super Sports
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