Alex Iwobi started his second match of the international break for Nigeria on Tuesday, and he won more praise for his performance than in the first.

In Nigeria’s first match against Seychelles, Iwobi drew some criticism, despite his team going on to win the match. He got the chance to show some improvement in their second game against Egypt, and local media suggest he took advantage of that opportunity.

AllNigeriaSoccer write in their player ratings: “Much improved performance from Iwobi. Tried to connect well with the attackers to mixed results but a good showing nonetheless.”

They did criticise one shot from the 22-year-old, but other than that they were clearly pleased with the way he responded after that first game.

As we mentioned after the Seychelles match reaction, there’s always going to be a bit of extra attention paid to Iwobi. He’s one of Nigeria’s big hopes for the future, as a young talented player starting regularly for one of Europe’s top clubs. The winger just needs to try and use that extra attention as motivation if he can.

Iwobi has five goals and seven assists for Arsenal this season, including a goal against Chelsea and two assists against Liverpool. He also scored a vital away goal against Rennes recently. At this point, every game is going to be crucial, so more good performances like those would really help the team out.