Bright Osayi-Samuel could now be facing fresh competition in the Super Eagles squad after former Nigeria U-23 forward Emmanuel Okoduwa openly praised Ryan Alebiosu following Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Uganda at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria had already secured qualification from the group before the Uganda game, which allowed head coach Eric Chelle to rotate his squad.
Osayi-Samuel, who had started two of the first three group matches, was left out of the starting XI, with Alebiosu handed a rare opportunity at right back. The Blackburn Rovers defender made his full debut in a competitive AFCON match and played the entire game.
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Speaking after the match, Okoduwa said the team selection caught his attention. As reported by Footy-Africa, the former Olympic Eagles attacker approved of Chelle’s decision to bring in fresh faces.
“When I saw the lineup, I was impressed, and I felt the coach did the right thing by starting some new faces since the team had already gone through,” he said.
Nigeria went on to beat Uganda 3-1, even though the East Africans were reduced to ten men for a large part of the match. Alebiosu kept his place throughout, showing energy down the right side and coping with his defensive duties on a night when several regular starters were rested.
Okoduwa felt the rotated players justified the coach’s trust.
“Those players also did well in my estimation, which shows there is quality in the squad because they were able to win convincingly.”
However, the former striker was not pleased with every aspect of the performance. Nigeria conceded once, even with a numerical advantage, something Okoduwa believes should concern the technical crew as the tournament moves into the knockout stage.
“I was unhappy with the goal we conceded, especially since the Ugandans were playing with a man less. We should have controlled the game and killed it off,” Okoduwa added.
His worries went beyond that single moment, pointing to a wider issue he has noticed during the competition.
“I do not like the kind of goals we have conceded in this tournament. I hope the coach will sit with them and work out a good defensive format for the team.”
Still, the main talking point from his comments was his admiration for Alebiosu, who arrived at his Blackburn Rovers unveiling earlier this year carrying a Nigerian flag, signalling his commitment to the national team. Okoduwa believes the young full back has done enough to put pressure on Osayi-Samuel going forward.
“But despite the little flaws, you can see the quality in the team, and I really like the new boy, the one from Blackburn Rovers. He did well and will definitely challenge for a starting position now.”
Alebiosu has however suffered a deep cut to his leg during the Uganda game and was later reported to be a doubt for the knockout rounds. It is an unfortunate end to an encouraging night for the Blackburn Rovers defender, who had done enough on his debut to show he can compete at this level.
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