At the back of Golden Eaglets' 4:2 triumph over Hungary in their opening Under 17 world cup match yesterday, Afrofooty looks at how the players rated.
The Starters
Goalkeeper
Daniel Jinadu: Was beaten by a close range effort for the first goal and a long range strike for the second, neither of which he could have have done a lot about. Other than that, he wasn't constantly troubled. (7/10)
Defenders
Timilehin Adeniyi: Could have done better by providing cover for those around him. There is room for improvement. Scored his side's third goal after recovering well to paper over the cracks of some of his shortcomings. (7/10)
Ferdinand Ikenna: Battled well with Andras by posting a defensive display that he could have been proud of. (7.5/10)
Usman Ibrahim: Struggled to deal with the pace of Samuel Major earlier on but grew into the clash as it wore on. Scored a powerful header to display an element of his game that added value to the team on the night. (7/10)
Charles Etim: Wasn't in the game as much as he and his team mates would have wanted; a rather subdued performance from the teenager. (6/10)
Midfielders
Tijani Samson: Fantastic display from the skipper; almost every good thing that emanated from the midfield came from Tijani's feet. He sold a dummy Krisztian Hegyi from the spot kick to draw his team level earlier in the first half before smashing home a bombastic late freekick for his second. (8.5/10)
Monsuru Opeyemi: Didn't really stamp his authority in the middle of the park and was hooked for Akinwumi Amoo in the second half. (6/10)
Hamzat Ojediran: Sort of drifted in and out of the game with some moments of brilliance that were not sustained for long periods. (6.5/10)
Attackers
Sa'id Mohammed: Got into some decent positions but his shooting often let him down. Strung together some good coordination with his midfielders, however but the end product could have been better. (7/10)
Olakunle Olusegun: Could not be faulted for endeavour however the end products were poor at times. Showed a lot of promise and might yet come good in subsequent matches. (7/10)
Wisdom Ubani: He didn't have the sort of impact many had expected. Yet, Ubani drew a telling foul from Donath Orosz in the box and was a victim of some vicious challenges from the opponents. His speed, pace and willingness to drive into the heart of the defence troubled the Hungarian youths. (7.5/10)
The Substitutes
Akinwunmi Amoo: He injected creativity and urgency to the game with his trickery, flair and purposeful play. Expect some good things from this lad as the tournament progresses. (7/10)
Ibrahim Jabaar: He was positive and purposeful. He had a ruthless header scrambled off the line as he provided an outlet up front for his team. (7/10)
Daniel Francis: A very late change.
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