Emmanuel Clement
Zimbabwe held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, shattering the Super Eagles’ chances of reaching the competition.
Victor Osimhen scored in the 74th minute before Zimbabwe pegged Nigeria back in the 90th minute.
Coming off the back of a 0-2 win over Rwanda on Friday, the Super Eagles were hopeful of reviving their World Cup dreams after faltering in their first four matches in the qualification race.
Against the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria began the match with a wave of chances to take the lead. But some brave defending and wastefulness from the visitors prevented Eric Chelle’s side from finding the net.
Nigeria intensified their quest for a goal but found it hard to break down the Zimbabwean defense. However, in the 74th minute, the Super Eagles had a breakthrough! Expectedly, Osimhen connected neatly to a Simon Moses low cross to nod home in the far post. 1-0 to the Super Eagles!
However, Zimbabwe almost levelled things up just immediately after Nigeria’s defence was cut nabbing. Only the crossbar saved the Super Eagles from conceding.
Nigerian looked like scoring another one, but Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi could not place his shot well when through on goal. The Super Eagles later paid for it as the defenders failed to snuff out a late Zimbabwean attack. Tawanda Chirewa beat goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali in his near post in the 90th minute to break Nigerian hearts!
With the draw, Nigeria are still rooted in fourth place with seven points from six games.
Meanwhile, South Africa cruised to a 0-2 win over the Benin Republic in another Group C match in the qualification race, a victory that take them closer to reaching the World Cup. The Bafana Bafana have a comfortable lead at the summit of the group, having gotten 13 points from six games. They are five points ahead of second-place Rwanda, who drew against Lesotho.
Only one team is guaranteed an automatic slot from the nine groups in the African qualification series. The four best losers go for a play-off, a prerequisite for an inter-continental playoff.