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Nigeria vs. Libya: Five Hot Talking Points

Posted by George on Mon 15th Oct, 2018 - tori.ng

Odion Ighalo was on fire for the Super Eagles as he bagged three fantastic goals against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Uyo.

 
Odion Ighalo
 
Ighalo back with the goods: Just as pressure keeps mounting on the Changchun Yatai forward anytime he's called up to the national team, he made good of the occasion against Libya.
 
He scored a fantastic hat-trick, becoming the first Nigerian to do so since Nnamdi Oduamadi in 2013. It might now be four goals in his last two appearances for the Super Eagles, but in truth, Ighalo was largely poor on the day, looking for needless penalties when he should have scored and lacking composure in front of goal.
 
The Iwobi show: It hardly needs to be emphasised that the Arsenal star is at his best whenever he plays the number 10 role. That was how Rohr employed him against the Mediterranean Knights in Uyo, and he proved to be the real deal with his passing always initiating attacking moves. One of which resulted in an Ighalo goal and another, almost a maiden goal for left full-back Jamilu Collins. It is the hope now that Rohr realises that there is no one better suited for that role than Iwobi.
 
Kalu is still hot: The Bordeaux man enjoyed a fine debut against a lowly Seychelles side, but this tie against Libya was always going to be a big test. It proved to be the case, as he was found wanting all game, needlessly aiming for goal when he should have passed to a teammate. Fans grew uneasy as he continued to feature on the pitch, but the former Gent winger wrapped up the evening with a curling shot from outside the 18-yard area that took viewers off their seats.
 
Bad Uyo pitch: The game was initially billed to be played in Kaduna, but poor pitch conditions meant it was moved to Uyo. It proved to be little improvement, with the playing surface an eyesore to spectators. Although the Godswill Akpabio Stadium has been the permanent home of the Super Eagles for quite a while now, the turf keeps deteriorating due to poor maintenance. It might not be worthy to be played on again if standards don't improve.
 
Poor refereeing: Ighalo might have been the centre of attraction in Uyo, but it's hard to leave out centre referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo, who made a number questionable decisions especially in not awarding the Libyans what appeared to be a couple of clear-cut penalties, which irked the North Africans.
 
Perhaps if he hadn't erred, Nigeria wouldn't have enjoyed such a comfortable victory, and the 1982 Afcon champions will be hoping to make amends in the return leg.


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