'Critics can only make me better' - 'Disappointing' Onazi apologises for England showing

Ogenyi Onazi has apologised following his unimpressive showing in Nigeria's loss to England, and has vowed to 'get better'.

The defensive midfielder was part of a Super Eagles side that underperformed in the first half of the encounter at Wembley, as they went down to goals from Gary Cahil and Harry Kane.

Asides his shaky performance at the base of the midfield, Onazi was particularly criticised for the part he played in the buildup to Kane's 39th-minute strike.

A swift response from coach Gernot Rohr - which included culling the Trabzonspor man, midfield partner Joel Obi, Leon Balogun and Abdullahi Shehu before the restart - saw an improved performance in the second half, culminating to an Alex Iwobi goal to end the tie 2-1.

And the team's assistant captain has owned up to his errors, vowing to come good.

“Saturday’s outing was disappointing from me and I know it was not the best from me due to reasons I could not lay my hands on but it is a process one has to pass through to get better,” Onazi posted on Instagram.

“A lot of critics and lots of blames yes I know but it can only come once in a while. Critics can only make me better I can’t run away from it but to learn and get better.

“Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Super Eagles preparation for the World Cup is still on to get us in sharp.”

On Wednesday, if given a chance in the final tune-up game against Czech Republic, Onazi would aim to cover himself in glory - with Rohr, seemingly, yet to decide on his starters for the World Cup.

Nigeria, in Group D, kick off their campaign in Russia against Croatia on June 16 before they face Iceland and Argentina.