Nigeria 1 Rwanda 2: Chukwueze scores brilliant solo goal but Super Eagles suffer historic loss to Wasps

The Super Eagles failed to see out their unbeaten run in the qualifiers, as they fell to an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Rwanda's Wasps who came from behind to win the game after an initial brilliant solo effort from Samuel Chukwueze which put Nigeria ahead midway through the second half.

This marks the first time Nigeria have been beaten by Rwanda in an international match  and the defeat came in the sixth meeting between the two nations.

The game began with Rwanda showing glimpses of their intention to go all out against the Super Eagles whilst Nigeria tried to string a few passes amongst themselves.

The Super Eagles came close to netting their first of the evening in the 9th minute when Victor Boniface's pass found Alhassan Yusuf on the run, but slipped at the vital moment of winning a cross, allowing Kelechi Iheanacho to force a shot which was deflected for a corner. 

The corner which was lobbed in by Kelchi Iheanacho was punched away by Nwatari in goal for Rwanda.

Rwanda did try to push for a promising attack after Emmanuel Imanishimwe released Gabriel Mushiga on the left wing in the 21st minute who got the better of Osayi-Samuel but his cross couldn't find any of his teammates in the box as it was a very easy catch for Maduka Okoye in goal for Nigeria.

The Super Eagles responded in two minutes later but Victor Boniface couldn't properly get on the end of Moses Simon's cross. 

Nigeria did win a free kick in the 25th minute after a foul on Bright Osayi-Samuel, but Iheanacho's poor delivery was overcooked, giving away a goal kick in the process.

As the first half progressed, the Super Eagles struggled to create anything meaningful going forward despite sparingly dominating the game possession wise. 

Rwanda on the other hand grew into the game and won a corner in the 42nd minute but it was well dealt with by the Nigerian defense.

Just before the end of normal time in the first half, Kelechi Iheanacho had his shot saved after a sumptuous cross from Moses Simon who stylishly beat his marker.

The second half saw Eguavoen make two changes as Alhassan Yusuf came off for Frank Onyeka and Kelechi Iheanacho made way for Samuel Chukwueze. 

The Super Eagles almost found the back of the net four minutes in, with Moses Simon's excellent delivery from the corner finding the head of Victor Boniface who drew a fantastic save from Ntwari to keep the game within reach for the wasps.

The Super Eagles continued to press with Moses Simon having his shot blocked after a beautiful one-touch play between him and Victor Boniface. 

Rwanda however proved that they weren't ready to back down with Fitina Omborenga engineering a cross into the Nigerian penalty area, but Maduka Okoye was there to safely claim the ball.

Nigeria finally got the reward for their persistence in the 58th minute as Samuel Chukwueze made a mess of the Wasps defense, breezing past three players before placing the ball at the right corner of the net, leaving Ntwari helpless in goal for Rwanda.

The Super Eagles immediately pushed for a second as they caught the Amavubi defense on the counter with Frank Onyeka trying to release goalscorer Samuel Chukwueze on the run, but the Augsburg man's pass was a bit over hit.

In the 68th minute, it was Samuel Chukwueze again trying to get involved, this time trying to release Victor Boniface on the run who lost his balance ehilst trying to get his shot away.

Ange Mutsinzi broke Nigerian hearts as he capitalised on a cross from a free kick delivery into the box from Jojea Kwizera, heading the ball past Maduka Okoye in the 71st minute. 

Innocent Nshitu completed an unexpected turnaround as he flicked the ball into the net at the near post after receiving a cross two minutes later. 

The goal saw the introduction of Victor Osimhen who came on for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

Victor Boniface made way for Sadiq Umar in the 88th minute as Eguavoen looked to bring on more firepower to get back into the game.

In a bid to salvage a point from the game, Frank Onyeka made a complete waste of a second ball from a cleared Samuel Chukwueze cross in the 93rd minute. 

Today's defeat ensured that the Wasps got their second win of the qualifiers, and will definitely be in high spirits when they meet Nigeria once again at next year's World Cup qualifiers.

Ejim Kaycee

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