Ivory Coast cruised to a 7-0 win in their World Cup qualifier against Seychelles, and it was Emmanuel Agbadou’s best performance of the season.
Life at Wolves hasn’t been easy for Emmanuel Agbadou recently.
When Agbadou arrived at Molineux back in January, he instantly stood out as a top defender at the club and would play a pivotal role in Wolves’ resurgence.
His first full season in England hasn’t seen him continue this form, with Vitor Pereira seeing fit to drop him for the Spurs game a few weeks back.
Agbadou has frustrated fans with silly mistakes, something that was not a part of his game just a few months ago. But this recent international performance could be a turning point for the centre-back.
A goal and an assist for Wolves’ Emmanuel Agbadou
Despite the noise around Agbadou in recent weeks, he showed from early in the game that he was ready to play.
The Wolves star would get his second ever national team goal after just 17 minutes of play, when a corner bundled to his feet at point blank range, and Agbadou volleyed home to give his side a two-goal cushion.
Not long after, he would be the architect for Ivory Coast’s third, finding himself through on goal, and squaring it to Oumar Diakite for an easy finish. Agbadou would be taken off at the break, with the manager clearly having seen enough in that emphatic first-half display.
After the game, the Ivorian media were full of praise for the out-of-favour Wolves man.
Ivorian media on Agbadou’s starring performance
Two goal involvements in the opening 30 minutes is an impressive tally for a centre-back, and Agbadou got plenty of recognition for the display.
The finish for his goal was a “fine” volley, per Mondial Sport.
Koaci were more impressed with the “perfectly set up” assist from the defender.
Then, Sport Ivoire gave the most glowing review of Agbadou, praising his energetic performance, and naming him as a key contributor to this sizeable win: “Accurate in his passing, author of decisive moves and a goal scorer, the defender was decisive throughout the match.”
It’s a relief to see that the Agbadou who endeared himself to Wolves fans last season is still in there somewhere.
This hasn’t been an easy period for anyone at Wolves, but it’s the degree to which Agbadou has regressed that stands out even amongst his teammates at Molineux.
This performance should be a confidence-booster for one of Wolves’ best players on his day. Hopefully, he can carry this form back to England and make his way back into Pereira’s plans.