Calvin Bassey's Maldini-esque display in numbers - Top 3 stats behind his Ivory Coast masterclass

Calvin Bassey earned high praise for his commanding and excellent performance for Nigeria against Cote d’Ivoire at the AFCON 2023.

Pulse Sports reported that the Fulham defender put on a show against the Ivorians, drawing comparisons to Italian legend Paolo Maldini as Nigeria defeated the host 1-0 in Group A on Thursday. 

The versatile star proved to be one of the standout players in a game Jose Peseiro needed to win to revive their AFCON 2023 dream.

Africa’s Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen, won the penalty while skipper, William Troost-Ekong netted the crucial winner from the spot to seal Nigeria’s first win in the competition.

However, 22-year-old Bassey was a thorn in the skin of Ivory Coasr’s attackers, with the Super Eagles star hardly putting a foot wrong against the Elephants. 

The numbers behind Bassey’s display illustrate just why he was picked by many Nigerians as their man of the match, despite Osimhen emerging as CAF’s official choice after the game.

Here are the top three (3) stats from Bassey's impressive outing against the massively supported hosts, Ivory Coast’s Elephants. 

Bassey proved to be an immovable bulwark for the Ivorian attack as he made an incredible six tackles to halt their move. 

He frustrated the host with his impressive pressure on the Ivorian players, giving them no space to breathe at centre-back and left-back. 

The Fulham star won a total of nine duels, both on the ground and aerially to keep Ivory Coast at bay.

Bassey won six of seven attempted ground duels and three of six aerial attempts.

He also made one interception and three clearances to neutralise further threats in his first start and match at AFCON 2023.

While his passing accuracy could be better, the former Ajax man also made himself available on the ball for his teammates. 

Bassey had 53 touches on the ball and completed 20 of 29 attempted passes.

All stats are courtesy Sofascore.