Nigeria suffered a 2-1 loss to Ivory oast in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final in Abidjan on Sunday.
William Troost-Ekong gave the Super Eagles a first-half lead but second-half goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller turned the game around for the Elephants.
Nigeria failed to secure a fourth AFCON trophy in their eighth final appearance while Ivory Coast are now three-time AFCON champions.
Afrosport ranks the performance of Jose Peseiro’s players during the final match that took place in the fully-packed Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe.
Stanley Nwabali (7/10)
Nwabali was the busiest Super Eagles player on the pitch and he made five saves in 90 minutes. Unfortunately, his brillance was not enough as he ended up conceding two goals in the 62nd and 82nd minutes.
William Troost-Ekong (7/10)
Troost-Ekong led Nigeria with everything, in attack and defence. The PAOK defender leapt to break the deadlock at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe in the 37th minute and he also coordinated the defence with his leadership.
Semi Ajayi (6/10)
Ajayi formed a strong partnership with Troost-Ekong in the heart of Nigeria defence but their combination could not prevent Ivory Coast from coasting to victory. He showed composure in crucial stages and made three clearances in the encounter.
Calvin Bassey (7/10)
Bassey was among the stand-out Nigeria players in the game and it was evident in his contributions. The Fulham star made the most clearances (8) in the game and he also completed the most passes (40) in Jose Peseiro’s team.
Ola Aina (5/10)
Unlike his previous performances, Aina was caught off-guard by the Ivorians on several occasions and his indecisiveness led to Simon Adingra’s cross that was converted by Sebastien Haller.
Aina, fortunately, played a laudable role in the Super Eagles’ uninspiring attack by making the most successful dribbles (2).
Zaidu Sanusi (5/10)
Lacked confidence in his play in the early stages of the game and made some unforced errors with his first touches whenever he had the ball.
Frank Onyeka (6/10)
Onyeka was solid in the middle of the park but his contribution of five tackles (the most in the game) was not enough to help Nigeria resist Ivory Coast. The Brentford star was the only visible Super Eagles player in the midfield.
Alex Iwobi (3/10)
Iwobi was missing in action when it mattered and it was one of his worst performances in Nigeria shirt. The 27-year-old was inaccurate with his passes and could not link defence with attack which made Nigeria second-best in the game.
Samuel Chukwueze (2/10)
The AC Milan star was invisible and he struggled to find his feet in the encounter. He was the most underwhelming player in Jose Peseiro’s team with just five passes completed in 55 minutes.
Chukwueze stayed long in the game which shouldn’t be, he could have been replaced at the break.
Ademola Lookman (5/10)
Lookman was active in his role and he had a lot to do from dropping back to his fine runs and crosses to Victor Osimhen. He is the only player with the best pass accuracy (84.6%).
Victor Osimhen (5/10)
Osimhen could not do much in the game as he was not effectively supplied with ball but he kept Ivory Coast defence on their toes.
