Nigerian goalkeeper Francis Uzoho committed a howler in the Super Eagles friendly match against the Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão in Portugal which ended in a 2-2 draw and his performance has left fans with concerns as the AFCON tournament approaches.
Nigeria began the match on the front foot, with early chances from star players like Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze. However, they could not capitalise on these opportunities, and the game headed to halftime with a score of 0-0.
The turning point came in the 60th minute when Salam Al-Faraji scored a free kick for Saudi Arabia largely due to an attempted clearance from Uzoho who sent the ball into his own net.
In the 83rd minute, Nigeria managed to equalise as an own goal by Saudi defender ,Al Amri tied the game. Iheanacho then scored a powerful goal from outside the box in the 91st minute, putting Nigeria ahead. However, just when victory seemed within reach, the Super Eagles conceded another free kick on the edge of the box during added time as the strike from Mohamed Kanno deflected off Calvin Bassey and went the opposite direction of Uzoho’s dive.
Since the exit of Carl Ikeme, Nigeria’s goalkeeping department has been struggling to find a suitable replacement. South Africa-based goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi was the target of severe criticisms on social media as the Super Eagles emerged third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in July.
Maduka Okoye, who was in goal when Nigeria lost to Tunisia in the last-16 of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, was hounded by Nigeria fans on social media with comments ranging from trolling over his looks to death wishes upon him and his loved ones.
Uzoho’s performance has come under scrutiny, especially considering that he conceded two free-kick goals in this match.
Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro defended Uzoho, suggesting that the goalkeepers were under tremendous pressure from fans. He pointed out the inconsistency in criticising goalkeepers while other players who make mistakes are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny.
“When I arrived here, I remember I was told to change the goalkeeper. I spoke with all of them. No one felt comfortable because everybody attacked them.
“I like our players, when they make mistakes, it is my responsibility. The goalkeepers never play free or calm because of the people. I don’t know why they attack the goalkeepers every time,” he said.
“Why don’t they attack the strikers when they lose the ball or miss a goal, why? They could make mistakes, it is my responsibility. Next time, I need to train him (Uzoho) better.”
Legendary Nigerian goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, expressed his bewilderment at Uzoho’s performance and the team’s selection in general saying, “I am also wondering how he could have conceded two free-kick goals.
“As fans though, if the coach and others who are responsible present a team for us and their selection proves wrong, they deserve to be questioned.”
Another ex-Nigerian goalkeeper Joseph Dosu was disappointed with Peseiro’s comments on Nigerians reactions to the goalkeeping errors.
“I am not sure I should say anything after what coach Peseiro has said after the game. He said Nigerians are the problem of his goalkeeping area so if he can say that, I leave his statement for them to decide on.
“If we have a national team and we cannot say one or two thinigs against our national team, that means we are not even in Nigeria anymore. For such performance, and the coach can come out and say Nigerians are the problem of our own national team, that means we are not allowed to talk anymore,” Dosu said.
Fans on social media also criticized Uzoho’s lack of regular playing time for his club and questioned the decision to field him in the match.
Journalist Ikenwa Nnabuogor wrote, “In the beautiful game, you leave regular competitive football for a day, it leaves you for a week. You can’t give what you don’t have; it’s no rocket science to know this. Francis Uzoho is bound for such a howler, he’s not playing regularly for his club, been out of the sticks in his club since 20 May 2023 and our dear good old Jose Peseiro hauled him into the game fantastically match rusty.”
A Nigerian, Godwin Antai compared Uzoho with United goalkeeper Andre Onana who is currently enduring a poor run writing, “Nigeria should have even won the game but Uzoho decided to turn Onana on the day.”
Yayah Lukman wrote that he feels the Nigerian captain Wilfried Ndidi wanted to slap Uzoho for the mistake that led to the first goal, “Ndidi reaction like make him slap uzoho aswear.”
Another Nigerian with the handle @oyimzy believes that Nigeria needs a new man between the sticks before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
“Three Months to the start of AFCON and I’m already having flashbacks of Ghana WC qualifier, if Super Eagles want to go far in Ivory Coast then we need to get a proper goalkeeper now. None of this Francis Uzoho nonsense!” he wrote.
Manchester United fans who remembered his heroic night where he made 12 saves against the Red Devils in a 1-0 win for United at Old Trafford in the Europa league last season took to social media to blast the goalkeeper.
That display led to the 24-year-old nominated for Europa League player of the week, with United ending up second in the group and forced to play two knock-out playoff fixtures by matter of a single goal.
One fan wrote, “I can’t believe that’s the same Francis Uzoho in goal for Super Eagles.”
“The same guy decided to become (Manuel) Neuer and force us to play 2 more games for no reason,” a second added.
A third wrote, “Only when he keeps against Man Utd you’d see a stellar performance from Uzoho… funny dude.”
As the AFCON tournament approached, it has become clear that the Super Eagles need to address their goalkeeping concerns. Prospects like Hapoel Jerusalem’s Adebayo Adeleye and LASK’s Tobias Lawal should be considered as potential solutions to bolster the goalkeeping department.
These concerns reflect the team’s need for stability and reliability in one of the most critical positions on the field.