Fisayo Dele -Bashiru can’t hide his excitement after scoring on his competitive debut for Nigeria against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, reports Completesports.com.
The Hatayspor of Turkey midfielder was a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up against Hugo Broos’ men and he marked his first start in a competitive game for the Super Eagles with a superb goal.
Thembo Zwane gave Bafana Bafana the lead on 29 minutes.
Dele-Bashiru then levelled scores for the Super Eagles immediately after the break unleashing a shot from inside the box after receiving a pass from Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi.
Read Also:2026 WCQ: Iwobi Focuses On Benin Republic Vs Super Eagles After South Africa Draw
The 23-year-old is however disappointed the Super Eagles didn’t come out with a win from the game.
“I am happy to score on my competitive debut for Nigeria, disappointing not to come away with three points. Now all focus is on Monday,” he wrote on Instagram.
He will be hoping to be available for Super Eagles’ next game against the Squirrels of Benin Republic after copping an injury against South Africa.
The former Sheffield Wednesday star was replaced by Alhassan Yusuf in the 61st minute.
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To be candid I expected us to beat SA right there in Uyo but like they say, you win some, draw some and lose some. Our happiness is that we came out with a point which I think is better off. So, the match against the Rohr’s Benin is a must win for Finidi and his
Eagles of Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN). My onky advise to our fans is to keep their fingers crossed.
*only
I hope and pray Dele-Bashiru is fit to play on Monday against Benin, after the knock he got from the SA Bafana on Friday in Uyo. He is a decent revelation from Finidi.
Don’t think he might feature. I saw him limping why de-planing. But fingers crossed
This one don dey feel like NEYMAR now because he scored against South Africa.LMAO.don’t worry GENERAL ROAR will teach you a lesson… By the way csn I thought Benin republic is now referred to as cheetahs not squirrel…take correction before you get your ass sued…
Your grandfather is sweating in his pants right now, knowing what his cheetahs are up against. So, in your small mind, you think this Eagles will lie low and allow these kids snine off them like SA did? They know their WC dream is over if they allow your granny’s chamrleons beat them. If it’s a friendly, i can give up because friendly matches to Nigeria is a picnic. I said it earlier, you’ll cry river tomorrow.
Why is it necessary to bring his grandfather/ granny into this discussions? Please exercise some decency in your comments please
He knows his grandfather. It’s Rohr, not the biological one. Since he’s chosen to adopt him and hate on his country (that’s if he’s ever from Nigeria) because of him, I’ll continue to refer to Rohr as though @Monkey Post comes from that lineage by design. I don’t know why he refuses to heal even after his granny has moved on to a new chapter of his coaching career.
Nigeria doesn’t appear to be in good shape to qualify for the next WC if all this lack lustre performances continue. Imagine draws with countries like Lesotho and Zimbabwe. And now South Africa on our home soil. Even if we qualify, we probably won’t get past group stage. Nigeria doesn’t have a real team now.
Finidi appears to still be on probation in the eyes of many fans but for me, the signs look promising.
The brand of football is okay but I still have concerns around the winning attributes of his approach. It is fluid, vibrant, nebulous,
in distinct and dynamic with great entertainment value. But it’s an approach sure to see the Super Eagles concede goals without guarantee of always hitting back enough for victory.
When defending, the Super Eagles need to be more disciplined, focused and organised. Ineffective communication and clarity on “who is doing what” is is letting them down when defending.
When attacking, they are good. But they need natural wingers with pace and with to bring to live the potentials in Finidi’s amorphous 4-3-3 formation.
They leave far too much vacant real estate in midfield for their opponents to operate. The midfield triangle of Ndidi, Iwobi Dele Bashiru need to be crystal clear on who is defending and who is covering when one vacates their post.
We need wingers who will press the issue with runs to the byline and compelling crosses. I don’t think Iheanacho is suited to this approach. Chukwueze, Lookman will do, boy do we miss Moses Simon, he will thrive under Finidi. Others that will thrive on the flanks in future assignments include Ejuke or any other speedster.
I do like Finidi’s approach. It caters for a robust midfield infrastructure whilst taking advantage of the pace and speed Nigeria generally generates from the flanks. The fact that the goalkeeper also functions as centre back is an advantage.
Now it will be interesting to see Nigeria go toe to toe with opponents on the continent.
It will work with disciple, focus and organisation with apt player selection.
@deo, I think the 433 worked . The problem was the personel he used I midfield and attack. Iheanacho and onuachu had no business starting. I liked Iwobi play in the game but defensively, he does not do enough. SA were cutting through us every time and any time they felt like it.
@deo you are very constructive in your Responses but your choice of personel to execute assignments are mind boggling you seem to hold on to pst glory and sentiments in your evaluation of personel. Moses Simon is good but I will much rather see what Tella has to offer SE we have seen the best of Moses Simon he can really do no moreto take us tothe next level rather he will keep us stagnant like Musa did Nigeria really need to learn how to let players go when they are past thier best. this is one of the bane of our existence and coaches and most fans seems to be guilty of this. Palyers like Moses Simon, Paul Onuachu and Kelechi Iheanacho need to be on SE standby list these days.
Nigeria needs to move foward and try get to the next level. for now the kind of players we need are back are. Ekong, Osimhen, Awoniyi, Aina, Tella and co. We also need to try Ebuehi again he is solid if we can get Tosin and Olise that isa Bonus. We need to start thinking about moving to the next level not staying stagnant incase you have forgotten @deo we have not Won the AFCON since 2013 and we did not qualify to the World Cup in 2022. Please be more open minded in your player suggestions try to be alligning it on how we can take the Team to the Next level and to stay a Bronze Medal team
My brother GC, they cut through us o! A more ruthless side would have scored at least 2 more goals against Nigeria yesterday. That formation will never truly be optimised with Iheanacho as one of the wingers. Onuachu is too slow to latch on to the excellent route one long balls from the part-time centre back Stanley Nwabili.
Iwobi too requires enhanced dribbling skills and an eye for goals to be the real deal. Even Lookman has to up his skills as an out-and-out winger to be really dangerous out wide (but his skill set presently is at least par-for-the-course).
I think a rejuvenated Aribo will do well in this midfield.
For me, I like the football. It is pleasing to the eye offensively with defensive defects that originate from midfield.
For me, Finidi erred in player selection and assigning player positions! Iheanacho who does not press, has poor pass completion, and lacks pace; he has no business in midfield or on the wings. The decision to accommodate him in the starting lineup was a political one. His only attacking contribution was late in the 1st half where he played a nice combination with dele-bashiru
The second player whose starting team selection was suspect was Onuachu. For a man so tall to be useless at headers and unable to physically bully his marker using his size defeats the objective of his inclusion. Onuachu received two crosses in the game from Lookman that Osimhen or Boniface would have put away for a goal. Other crosses from a freekick or from Tanimu on the right went straight to the goalkeeper.
The 3rd player, that I found suspect is controversial, but it was Tanimu. Firstly, we were told this guy is a centreback, however he was deployed as a right-fullback. He lacks the pace required for a fullback, especially as fullbacks are required to beat their markers with pace and contribute both offensively and defensively. He had a mediocre offensive game, his two crosses on the right were so weak they fell into the goalkeeper’s hands. His defensive game was mixed. In fact, it was Tanimu’s failure to mark and intercept the pass to the South African number 11 that led to the first goal.
The positioning of three Nigerian players (Tanimu, Ndidi, and Bashiru) were crucial in that goal, but it was Tanimu’s naivety in not picking and marking the number 11. At the time he was strolling with the South African number 11 just outside the 18-yard box, thinking there was no danger and the South African player was offside when a clever pass from Number 13 Sithole exposed the Nigerian defense.
Admittedly, he did well with a goal-line clearance, but more credit should be given to Nwabali as the South African Percy Tau had already beaten Tanimu for pace before Nwabali’s save.
The positioning of players was bizarre. Again I attribute this to politics in order to accommodate our senior man or as I now call him, ‘lazyman’ Iheanacho. Osayi plays on the right, Tanimu does not have the skills of a fullback, and yet Finidi made these changes. While Osayi acquitted himself adequately Tanimu does not have the offensive requirements for an overlapping fullback.
All this made for a very unbalanced and predictable Super Eagles. It was obvious to anyone that all attacking intent would come from Lookman on the left, and the South Africans had little to fear from Tanimu and Iheanacho on the right, or from Onuachu in the middle, whose only contribution was his continuous falling over. As a consequence, Lookman was tightly marked.
The introduction of both Chukwueze and Yusuf brought balance and attacking threat to the right and South Africa had to adjust to this leaving more room for opportunities. Things got even better when Moffi replaced Onuachu, and I’m sure that if the first three substitutes had started South Africa would have been well beaten.
On the players, Lookman – I don’t know if his head has swollen, appeared reluctant to exchange passes with Osayi. In fact, Osayi went so far as to invert his position and force Lookman wide leading to a cross that would have been scored by anyone but Onuachu.
Unlike Chukwueze, Tanimu, and Yusuf; Lookman and his support players (Iwobi and Osayi) refused to engage in give-and-go passes that would have split the South African defense. It was not until Onyedika came on the pitch that Lookman had his first give-and-go exchange to penetrate the South African box which nearly resulted in a goal.
So it appears to me that there is an ego problem. Lookman’s recent performance has both swelled his head and caused other player’s jealousy and resentment. How else can I explain the nonsense that took place on the left in the first half?
I was initially critical of the defense, but after watching the match again, I can say the only weak link was a naive Tanimu.
The midfield was light with two attacking midfielders, while Ndidi attempted to impose himself on the midfield early in the match, he faded towards the end. This Iwobi/dele-Bashiru combination in midfield is a brave and experimental gamble, but Finidi took too many experimental gambles in this game. In fact, dele-bashiru’s injury was fortunate because it forced Finidi to restore balance and sanity to the midfield with the introduction of Yusuf.
If this game had been a friendly game, I would have praised Finidi for his bravery and experiments, but the gamble did not work and I along with other fans were happy to see sanity (round pegs in round holes) restored in the 2nd half.
@ Tristan… I disagree with you on Taminu. He had a decent game in the match. I won’t even criticise him one bit… did you not see the SA waltz freely past Bassey and shot in front of Ajayi? Iwobi also was still escorting opposition midfielders as is characteristic at some point.
The movement of the South African no. 11 was from the right side of the pitch (Tanimu’s responsibility and his defensive side of the pitch) to the middle where Bassey is positioned as center back. This player should not have been allowed to travel into the penalty box from the right in this way because once in the penalty box, all Bassey could do was try to stop him from shooting. Bassey could not tackle him in the box.
I hold my view on the matter.
But Tristan, I think you are not accounting for Ndidi’s role. The pass to that number 11 came from Ndidi’s vacated department after he had gone to cover for Tanimu who had been drawn close to the throw in line.
It was Ndidi who was vacating the right fullback slot when South Africa number 11 ran there (admittedly past Tanimu) to cause harm.
Ndidi is more experienced than Tanimu. Better communication and timely movement from him could have been more helpful.
Good analysis Tristan.
The gap between Tanimu and Bassey contributed to the goal. Solely blaming Tanimu is unfair. If you rewind the video, you would notice Tanimu was in defensive duties far to the right, close to the throw in line in the build up to the goal. His initial tackle, interception and clearance was successful. But later the ball came back, Ndidi took up the space that Tanimu would have occupied, leaving the defensive midfield unmanned. Ndidi then left defence leaving the gap he was plugging, allowing the South African to occupy the space, dribble and score.
Communication was bad, the initial pass was from Ndidi’s vacated position. When Ndidi left to fill in for Tanimu, who filled in for him in defensive midfield?
Tanimu played well. He interpreted the full back role in a manner that suited his skills.
Yes Lookman was too selfish. Iheanacho was an ineffective winger and Iwobi has lost the midas touch as a dribbler and he no longer offers a goal threat.
Even at that, it was an acceptable team effort.
Pls see my reply to Jimmy ball! There were 4 Nigerian players on the right (Iheanacho, Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru and Taminu). Ndidi and Dele-Bashiru were plugging the gap between Taminu’s position and Bassey’s, while Taminu was between and behind them with Zwane (No. 11) the South African player, who was faking an offside position.
The pass from Sithole (No. 13) was a reverse pass that went between Ndidi and Dele-Bashiru to Zwane who then found himself unmarked in space. The nearest player to Zwane was Taminu and it was in Tanimu’s area of defensive responsibility. Ndidi and Dele-Bashiru can be blamed for not intercepting the pass but ultimately the man responsible for marking Zwane in that area of the pitch was Taminu.
Zwane then carried the ball into the penalty area and it was only here that Bassey acted to intercept and stop him from shooting. He feinted Bassey, while Osayi and Ajayi futilely tried to block him from shooting.
I know you guys want to like this guy, but I watch the match again carefully. It was Taminu’s fault he was tricked by Zwane who pretended that he was in an offside position.
Thanks Tristan for calling out Ndidi and Dele-Bashiru’s culpabilities in that goal. Also, Zwane, who still had much to do, tore across Bassey and Ajayi – two highly experienced defenders, thereby spreading the net of culpabilities wider.
The goal isn’t only Tanimu’s fault.
And, Golden Child, I don’t care where he plays, Nwabili is our number one o!
It is hard to see anybody play that Finidi’s part-time centre back role like Nwabili – he is perfect. He is not perfect by any means but what he does, he does flawlessly.
Nigeria plays better with 3 centre backs. As Finidi plays 2 centre backs, he deployed Nwabili as the part time 3rd centre back yesterday with resounding success. He filled in between Bassey and Ajayi as an avenue to exchange passes thereby allowing the fullbacks and midfielders push forward and put Nigeria on the front foot. Had Onuachu been quicker, 2 long balls from Nwabili (after exchanging passes with Bassey) would have found him.
Whenever Bassey was being high-pressed, Nwabili was on hand to receive and recycle the ball.
Men, Nwabili is good! Finidi will replace him at his own peril!
Finidi please note: 3-2-2-1-2
Play 3 defense –
Tanimu,Ajayi, Bassey
(Tanimu is not a right back pls)
Sodiq Osayi
Ndidi Iwobi
Fisayo
Chukwueze-lookman
Lookman don’t thrive as a winger please
In my opinion, Finidi didn’t study the South Africans enough. I don’t know what he meant when he said, prior to the match, that his video analyst had given him a lowdown on the opponents and that the analysis would be valuable. I couldn’t see any proof of that in the match because the South Africans ran riot in the first half.
Here’s the deal with South Africa: they run a lot, both on and off the ball, aiming to confuse their opponents. One moment they’re all over the place, the next there’s a pass out of nowhere that releases one of their players clear on goal or puts him in a very dangerous position.
They play rotational football and release the ball very quickly, getting into excellent positions and leaving their opponents looking like they’re chasing shadows.
That’s how they scored their goal in Uyo. For a coach who claimed to have studied the South Africans, that should have been the first thing to notice. But where was the tactical setup to neutralize that? Nigeria played some good football in the second half, but it was just an emotional reaction from the players after going one goal down, not the coach’s tactical genius.
Finidi is trying to change the team’s playing pattern to a more attack-oriented approach and formation, but it’s not materializing immediately. The players need time to adapt to his philosophy, and we don’t have that luxury or the fortitude to bear another FIFA World Cup miss!
To effectively counter South Africa’s style of play, Finidi should consider these tactical adjustments:
1.Tight Marking and Zonal Defense: Ensure players maintain tight marking to disrupt South Africa’s passing game. A zonal defense system would cover spaces and prevent those unexpected through balls.
2. High Pressing: Implement a high pressing game to force errors and limit South Africa’s ability to play quick passes. Regaining possession higher up the pitch is key. That’s0 exactly what they did in the second half. They shouldn’t have waited until they conceded a goal to do that.
3.Midfield Dominance: Deploy a strong, combative midfield to break up South Africa’s rhythm. Using players like Ndidi or Onyeka to intercept and disrupt their play would be crucial.
4.Quick Transitions: Focus on quick transitions from defense to attack to exploit the spaces left by South Africa when they push forward. Utilize the speed of players like Lookman, Chukwueze, and Boniface. We never did this in the first half. The build up was just too slow.
5.Formation Adjustments: Consider using a 4-2-3-1 formation to provide defensive solidity while allowing quick counter-attacks. This formation ensures enough players to defend and support the attack. The players wouldn’t have found this difficult to do because it’s just a slight upgrade to what we saw under Peseiro; a system they played under the Portuguese in at least 6 games at the AFCON.
Finidi’s approach needs to be more tactically astute. It’s like trying to bake a cake without following the recipe—you might end up with a disaster instead of a masterpiece. But I love what I saw in the second half. I hope they keep up with that in their subsequent games.
Are you refering to the Finidi that told a world press conference that tactics do not matter in football, players just need to know when to defend and when to attack….? Or are you referring to another Finidi….?
Hahahaha..still processing that statement till date
Lolz! Lo!! It should’ve been Amuneke but for the non combative attributes. So he’s trending irrespective of result garnered. Dele, Iwobi, Ndidi that didn’t do much are thrilled and are looking forward to an entralling encountered.
Papafem,
Na wa o! When things don’t work, it is Finidi’s fault. But when the team scores, it is only the players’ emotional response to conceding first. Why not let’s give respect where due?
As wonderful to read as your recommendations to Finidi are, they are still coming from the “emotional response” of a fan! I doubt you have coached before.
We don’t have time to adopt an attacking approach you say, yet Kel, Tristan and many people crucified Peseiro’s defensive approach in the Afcon despite bearing silver fruits.
Finidi and Peseiro can please some of the fans some of the time but they can never please all of the fans all of the time.
My brother, I strongly criticised Finidi’s appointment but milking out a draw against South Africa with a fluid and vibrant brand of football deserves some praise.
Finidi’s approach is aesthetically pleasing but not altogether compelling as a winning strategy. Hopefully with time he will use it to mastermind success.
Bro, I’ve studied the way you write. You always balance things, never leaning too much to one side in any controversy. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell where you truly stand, and that says a lot about your personality. Your objectivity is always a product of your instinctive neutrality. People like you are quite affable, easygoing, and rarely find yourself in a position to offend anyone in the heat of an argument. For that and more, I respect you!
But people like us aren’t that patient, Bro. We don’t really care how people feel about our opinions; we say it exactly as we see it. People like @Dr. Drey, @Pompei, and a few others share this disposition, and I don’t think anything can change that.
Which brings me to our dear coach, Finidi. Guess you didn’t notice, but he was supposed to start better than he did. That match was crucial, yet he took too many risks—risks too great for a match of that nature. There were experiments and bizarre combinations from defense to attack. Sure, some of these were due to the absence of key players, but he could still have eked something out of the available resources.
Onuachu has had a notorious reputation for low productivity in green-white-green since Gernot Rohr’s time. Apart from that goal against CAR or Liberia (can’t really recall), he’s been an underperformer for the Super Eagles. Why start such a player ahead of Boniface, who is far more skillful, agile, and a better goal scorer? Can you name one thing Onuachu did in that game worth mentioning? I can’t recall him starting any match under previous coaches, not even under Eguavoen.
Finidi also played a lot of players out of position. These players, like Osayi for example, did their best but couldn’t replicate what natural players in those positions would have done. Iheanacho had no business starting. He’s match rusty and slower in transition, unlike players like Lookman and Chukwueze. To make things worse, Finidi fielded him alongside Onuachu, another annoyingly sluggish player in the attack. It’s the major reason our attack lacked that killer bite in the first half after that initial burst of energy. Did see the spark in our transition the moment Chukwueze stepped into the pitch? That was when I even notuced Nigeria had been playing “9” men against South Africa’s 11!
And let’s not forget Finidi’s approach to defense. Or rather, his complete lack of one. The team has conceded four goals in three matches under him. That’s why I suggested that formation in my previous post. There should be balance in the team. The Super Eagles under him shouldn’t be another version of Peseiro’s AFCON team. Under the Portuguese, it was all defense at Ivory Coast; under Finidi, it shouldn’t be all attack. We’ll suffer. The gaps were so big, they practically invited the South Africans to run riot.
I just can’t bear the thought of Nigeria missing out on another FIFA World Cup! At least for the sake of players like Osimhen and Simon, who may not have another chance. Or Lookman, Iwobi and Dele Bashiru, who will be pained watching the Three Lions play at the Mundial, knowing full well it could be them tasting the world cup action or even passionate football fans like us who will suffer watching nine countries represent Africa while Nigeria isn’t there!
But hey, Bro, i understand your sentiment. We should look on the bright side of things. I’m quite hopeful that we will beat Benin, though my confidence is lower than the Nigerian stock market. Finidi’s been appointed already, so rejecting him is off the table. But his selection, formation, and tactics should inspire hope. I still want him to succeed, and I do hope he won’t disappoint. Let’s pray he finds his tactical brain somewhere and brings us some joy on the pitch. Fingers crossed!
Lolz! Lo!! It should’ve been Amuneke but for the non combative attributes. So he’s trending irrespective of result garnered. Dele, Iwobi, Ndidi that didn’t do much also thrilled and are looking forward to an entralling encountered.
Thanks Papafem,
After all said and done, I think its just fair to praise Finidi when the team scores and critise him when they fumble. I guess that is the sense of ‘balance’, ‘neutrality’ and ‘objectivity’ that you alluded to.
Great Britain and America claim to be a capitalist societies yet they have socialist principles that influence their approach to social welfare for its citizens. As communist as Russia is, they still encourage capital enterprise where private businesses can thrive.
My point: it is hard to lean too much to a particular school of thought. Everything has advantages and disadvantages. It’s always about finding the middle grounds and find where the argument tilts more towards.
Anyways, good luck to Finidi. Hopefully his nebulous expansive approach yields fruit.