Finidi’s tactics excites Iheanacho, Dessers

Kelechi Iheanacho and Cyriel Dessers have expressed delight with the tactics employed by interim coach Finidi George in their win over rivals Ghana on Friday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Finidi led the Eagles to a 2-1 win over the Black Stars at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco to ensure Nigeria’s first win over Ghana at senior level in 18 years.

Returning forward Dessers sent Lawrence Ati-Zigi the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 38th minute, after Ghanaian defender Jerome Opoku handled a shot by Iheanacho.

Opoku would pick up a red card in the 57th minute for dissent, leaving the Black Stars with 10 men.

The Eagles extended their lead with six minutes left when substitute Ademola Lookman calmly slotted past goalkeeper Ati-Zigi and an onrushing defender after a good team move that involved fellow substitute Moses Simon and midfielder Alex Iwobi.

In four minutes of added time, right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel brought down forward Semenyo in the Nigeria box to gift the Ghanaians a penalty, and captain Jordan Ayew made no mistake from the spot sending Stanley Nwabali the wrong way.

On the back of the win, Finidi’s tactics have earned him praises from some Nigerian players as the Super Eagles under Finidi delivered a direct, attacking style of football which was a sharp departure from the defensive football that got Nigeria to the final of the 2023 AFCON where they finished second.

“He has done a fantastic job within such a short space of time, hopefully he will get more chances to prove himself,” Iheanacho said.

Dessers, who scored the first goal of Finidi’s bow as Eagles boss believes the Enyimba’s style helps them create more chances saying, “He had a clear approach to this game – press aggressive and create more chances in this manner and I think we did that.”

Nigeria will next battle Mali in Morocco on Tuesday, handing Finidi another chance to convince many about his readiness for the Super Eagles job.