Nigeria had a successful international break unbeaten in both matches played, and we picked out four things we learned from the two games.
The Super Eagles might have been disappointed with the draw against Saudi Arabia, but managed to bounce back with a victory in their second game against Mozambique.
Need to be more clinical in front of goal
Nigeria were fully expected to beat Saudi Arabia in their recent friendly, but ended up with a draw despite having plenty of chances to secure the victory.
The Super Eagles had 15 shots in the game but managed to score just twice, and with main man Victor Osimhen failing to supply the goods, they struggled to source another way of finishing the chances.
Finding goals without Victor Osimhen
Osimhen was forced off in Nigeria’s first match due to injury, but it will be positive signs for manager Jose Peseiro as they managed to score three times against Mozambique without the clinical finisher.
It has been announced that Osimhen will be sidelined for several weeks due to the injury he picked up, but it will be a relief for the Super Eagles boss that he knows they can produce goals even without their star man if he does pick up a further injury ahead of AFCON.
Jose Peseiro figuring out his strongest side
Peseiro opted to make nine chances in the second fixture against Mozambique, so this is an indication that he taking a proper look at all of the players at his disposal, which allows him to figure out his strongest XI heading into the African Cup of Nations next year.
Leaking goals
Nigeria went into both of their games over the international break as strong favourites, and although they came away unbeaten, they still managed to concede five times. This could be worrying signs as they are set to face much stronger opposition in the upcoming months.
