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<\/p>\nNigeria cruised to a third-straight victory at AFCON as they eased past a Ugandan side who required three goalkeepers during the game in Fez.<\/p>\n
After winning their first two games in Group C, the Nigerians fielded a much-changed side, but the backup players did more than enough after goals from\u00a0Raphael Onyedika\u00a0(two) and Paul Onuachu.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Uganda, who got a late goal through Rogers Mato,\u00a0were not helped by losing one goalkeeper to injury before his replacement was then sent off, which meant a third had to come on for the last half an hour.<\/p>\n
The result means Uganda finish bottom of the group with one point from their three games while Nigeria go into the knockouts after securing maximum nine points.<\/p>\n
Nnamdi Onyeagwara and Sam Joseph break down the talking points.<\/p>\n
Why did Uganda need three goalkeepers?<\/p>\n
Taking three goalkeepers to an international tournament can often feel unnecessary, with teams tending to stick to their No 1 throughout the competition.<\/p>\n
Against Nigeria though, Uganda needed every one of their goalkeeping trio.<\/p>\n
Denis Onyango started in goal, picking up his 78th senior cap on Tuesday in an international career that began more than 20 years ago. However, the 40-year-old appeared to twist his ankle while collecting the ball. He battled on until half-time, when he was replaced by Jamal Salim.<\/p>\n
Salim would have been hoping to make a good impression, having been dropped after starting the opener against Tunisia.<\/p>\n
Instead, he received a straight card after deliberately using his right hand to make a save against Victor Osimhen well outside the penalty area.<\/p>\n
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\n Salim receives a red card against Nigeria (Abdel Majid BZIOUAT \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
That left Nafian Alionzi, who plays for Ethiopian team Defence Force, to come on for his eighth international appearance. The 29-year-old performed well in very difficult circumstances, making a good stop to deny Moses Simon, but conceded a quickfire double from Raphael Onyedika as Nigeria made the most of their man advantage.<\/p>\n
Sam Joseph<\/p>\n
Why did Bassey\u2019s passing stand out?<\/p>\n
Calvin Bassey has begun his Africa Cup of Nations tournament in fine form, and he continued his impressive displays against Uganda.<\/p>\n
The Fulham centre-back, who turns 26 on Wednesday, was one of three Nigeria players who maintained their starting spot in a much-changed starting XI.<\/p>\n
With knockout round qualification already confirmed, Eric Chelle decided to rotate the line-up but kept Bassey at the heart of his defence.<\/p>\n
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\n Calvin Bassey kept his place in the Nigeria team (Abdel Majid BZIOUAT \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Despite only playing the first half of the game, Bassey was the standout player, looking calm and composed in everything he did. The most notable aspect of his performance was his passing.<\/p>\n
From his left-sided centre-back role, Bassey played several long-range cross-field passes with astonishing accuracy. He was shown a harsh yellow card four minutes into the game, which undoubtedly played a part in his half-time substitution.<\/p>\n