Izuchukwu OkosiNigeria’s U-20 men’s national team failed to reach the final of the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt following Thursday’s 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the semifinals. Here, are ratings from the defeat to the Amajitas.
Goalkeeper: Ifeanyi Harcourt
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe goalkeeper who was majestic in the quarterfinals win over defending champions Senegal was impressive in the first half.
However he came off injured in the second half. 6.5/10.
Defender: Adamu Maigari
The full back displayed lots of energy and was an outlet going forward albeit he had some nervy moments. 6/10.
Defender: Daniel Bameyi (c)
The captain led by example with a solid defensive performance befitting of a skipper.
Bameyi’s influence however faded somewhat after South Africa scored the decisive goal. 7/10.
Defender: Emmanuel Chukwu
The young Chukwu made those who watched him reminisce about the late Christian ‘Chairman’ Chukwu.
What a splendid game in the centre of defence. He was strong in the tackles and was not overly troubled. 7.5/10.
Defender: Odinaka Okoro
Okoro was one of the best players of the group stage as he made the CAF Best XI as selected by the Technical Study Group.
However, on Thursday, the otherwise reliable defender played one of his not-soo-good games for the team. 5./10.
Midfielder: Suleiman Alabi
The midfielder was rather subdued in the game as he barely made any tangible contributions to the team’s midfield. 4.5/10.
Midfielder: Divine Oliseh
Oliseh started the tournament like a house on fire but his performances in the knockout stage have not lived up to the billing.
He had an average game and was subbed off in the second half. 5/10.
Midfielder: Israel Ayuma
A very lively outing by the youngster as the conventional ‘8’ in midfield.
Kept things ticking over by his industry and ball-carrying abilities.
Attacker: Tahir Maigana
The winger had one great chance to score as his curling effort went wide. He was not so influential after that chance. 5.5/10.
Attacker: Clinton Japhet
The former U-17 youngster made way in the second half of the game.
His off-the-ball movement opened up the channels for his teammates to explore. 6/10.
Attacker: Kparobo Arierhi
The striker struck the crossbar with a poweftil effort and his pace was a nightmare for the Amajitas. 7/10.
The Substitutes
Goalkeeper: Soluo Yakubu
The substitute goalkeeper’s error proved costly when he came off the subs bench.
That inadvertently led to South Africa’s goal. 4/10.
Midfielder: Precious Benjamin
His entrance brought life and solidity in midfield but his final passes were not incisive enough to crack the South Africa defence. 6/10.
Attacker: Auwal Ibrahim
The forward got himself in some good places to cause problems for South Africa. 6/10.
Midfielder: Bidemi Amole
Amole could not effect the game with the limited time he spent on the pitch. 4/10.
Attacker: Rickson Mendos
Brought off the bench bit failed to spark any unlikely comeback. 5/10.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
