Super Eagles forward Odion Ighalo was the star of the day after scoring a hat-trick as Nigeria thrashed Libya 4-0 in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo on Saturday.
The encounter saw the likes of debutant Jamilu Collins perform excellently, as well as Samuel Kalu, who earned his second cap for Nigeria in the match.
NAIJ.com in this report, highlights the Eagles stars, who were on top of their game during the all-important 2019 AFCON contest.
Alex Iwobi (Midfield)
The Arsenal midfielder was handed a central attacking-midfield role, but took time to get into the groove after a slow start in the opening stanza of the match.
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However, as soon as he got into the game he orchastaring things with his net passes and was always a threat to the Libyans going forward.
Iwobi intelligently, connected Collins with a top class pass that almost resulted to another goal, and equally created Ighalo's second goal in the second half.
Ahmed Musa (Forward)
Captain of the day, Ahmed Musa may not have been among the goalscorers but he definitely had a decent game..
The former CSKA Moscow forward was everywhere, he was always tracking back to assists the defence, moving into the middle to help check the Libyans- earning a caution for a poorly executed tackle as well as setting up Ighalo for his third goal with a perfectly delivered cross across the goal.
Samuel Kalu (Forward)
The Bordeaux player was the Man of the Match during Nigeria's 2019 AFCON qualifiers against Seychelles.
At the commencement of the game, Kalu was struggling, losing balls too easily and hardly connected with his crosses.
But as soon as the second 45 minutes commenced, Kalu got into the groove better and became a threat to the Libyans defence line. He was having a field day with his dribbles and and capped his home debut with a curling cracker for Nigeria's fourth goal of the game.
William Troost-Ekong (Defender)
The Udinese defender enjoyed another commanding performance in the heart of Nigeria's defence. He ensured no gap existed when the Libya forwards Abdussalam and Saltou threaten Nigeria's goal.
The former Tottenham youth player never lost hope when going for a tackle, and even when he misses, he masterfully ecoveres to clear his line beautifully.
Odion Ighalo (Forward)
The China-based forward is the best pick of the pack but some others will think otherwise Ighalo.
The former Watford man battled the opposing defenders to standstill on the day; hustled the defence, he connected play perfectly, and forced the goalkeeper into an error which caused the penalty he dispatched for the first goal.
Equally, he skifully rounded off Libya's goalie Muhammad Nashnoush to score his, before nipping the ball between the shot-stopper legs to seal his hat-trick.
Indeed, it was a top class performance from Ighalo, and was well hailed by football fans across the globe.
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously had reported that Super Eagles forward Odion Ighalo netted a hat-trick as Nigeria thrashed Libya 4-0 in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, Uyo on Saturday.
The performance saw the Gernot Rohr tutored-side Eagles move to second spot in Group E with six points to stay behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana who hammered Seychelles 6-O in the other group’s other game to remain top of the log.
Twitter went buzzing as Nigerians took to the social media to celebrate the astonishing victory against the North Africans.
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Source: Naija.ng
