Following Nigeria’s defeat to Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations Final, Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina faced a heartbreaking result. The Nigerian media didn’t hold back in their assessment of Aina’s performance in the game. Let’s take a closer look at what they had to say about Ola Aina after the AFCON Final.
According to reports, it appears that Aina had a difficult day on the field and it’s a game he would likely want to forget quickly. Despite starting as a wing-back, the ratings given to him suggest that he struggled to make an impact.
Ivory Coast managed to secure victory after coming from behind, with Nigeria taking the lead through a goal from William Troost-Ekong. However, goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller turned the tide in favor of the hosts, causing pandemonium among the home supporters.
All Nigeria Soccer delivered a harsh assessment of Aina’s performance, giving him a score of 3.5/10. This score reflects their critical view of his efforts during the match.
They said “It was the most disappointing display of the competition from the Nottingham Forest defender who couldn’t get the trickery of Simon Adingra.
“Strange that he completed the game despite his poor performance.”
Soccernet gave Aina a fair rating of 6/10 for his performance in the Final, without being too harsh.
They said on Aina: “The Nottingham Forest full-back struggled against his Ivorian opponent. Simon Adringa was his nightmare and he couldn’t keep up. He looked jaded as time went on and could barely kick a ball.”
Aina aims to continue his successful run at City Ground following his impressive performances in the AFCON.
Now that the AFCON is over, Aina has the responsibility to return to Forest and reclaim his spot in Nuno Espirito Santo’s team. Prior to the tournament, Aina started in Forest’s matches against Newcastle and Manchester United.
Since the AFCON began, Forest has been unable to secure a victory in the Premier League, highlighting the need for Aina’s return. Forest is counting on Aina, Ibrahim Sangare, and Willy Boly to come back to the City Ground and help secure some wins.
In our opinion, Aina should quickly put aside any disappointment and consider the AFCON as a resounding success. He performed well in many of the tournament games, making him a suitable fit for Forest’s lineup once again.
