Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has singled out Antonio Nusa, Yan Diomandé and Nicolas Pépé as the three players who caught his attention during Norway's 2-1 victory over Côte d'Ivoire at the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
Iwobi, who was providing his analysis during the first half of the contest, praised the trio for their influence on the game, highlighting their ability to create problems for the opposition despite the contrasting fortunes of their respective teams.
The Fulham midfielder noted that Côte d'Ivoire enjoyed long spells of possession and consistently threatened Norway's defence.
“They dominated possession and were entering the Norwegians side quite a lot,” Iwobi said on SuperSport as monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com.
Despite acknowledging Côte d'Ivoire's positive attacking display, Iwobi reserved special praise for Norway winger Antonio Nusa, whose moment of brilliance late in the first half gave his side the advantage heading into the interval.
“But, it's a moment of brilliance that decides a game, and we have seen it from Nusa,” he added.
“He's been the one that is causing the most threat in my opinion for Norway. Every time he gets to the ball, something exciting is going to happen.”
Iwobi also believes Côte d'Ivoire's attacking duo of Pépé and Diomandé showed enough quality to trouble Norway, although he felt they needed to be more effective in the final third.
“At the same time, I feel like Pepe and Diomande also produced but maybe that had to be a bit more inside the box. But, I feel like those two can still hurt Norway,” Iwobi concluded.
With the win, Norway booked their place in the Round of 16 and will take on Brazil in their next FIFA World Cup fixture.
Adeyemi Adewale
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