The Super Eagles of Nigeria’s FIFA 2026 World Cup hopes suffered a significant setback on Friday evening, when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe.
Head coach Eric Chelle fielded an unchanged starting 11 from last Friday’s 2-0 win over Rwanda at the Amahoro stadium, which had revived their hopes of qualifying.
The three-time African champions came into the game at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Uyo, buoyed by the fact that South Africa might face a three-point deduction, for fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Lesotho on Friday.
Nigeria settled into the game quickly, with Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen testing opposing goalkeeper Washington Arubi, who was equal to the task on the first two occasions.
The Marumo Gallants goalkeeper then produced a brilliant save minutes later from Osayi-Samuel who was through on goal moments later.
The Warriors also threatened Stanley Nwabali in the Super Eagles goal, after some nice buildup play and counterattacking football.
Reigning CAF player of the year Ademola Lookman, grazed the crossbar with a strike before AC Milan’s winger Samuel Chukwueze also missed from a goalscoring opportunity.
Osimhen, who moved past Segun Odegbami in the Nigeria’s all-time scoring chart on Friday, opened the scoring with a brilliant header in the 74th minute from an exquisite Ola Aina’s cross.
The goal was the on-loan Napoli man’s seventh in qualifying for the country, only behind Obafemi Martins who has ten.
However, Zimbabwe struck the post minutes later before getting their deserved equalizer in the dying moments of the game, through Tawanda Chirewa to break the Super Eagles heart.
The result is a huge dent on Nigeria’s hope of securing a return to the World cup after missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Eric Chelle and his team must go back to the drawing board ahead of their next round of fixtures against Rwanda and South Africa, knowing a win in both matches with revive their hopes of an automatic spot.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
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