Qualifying for the World Cup, Nigeria had yet another setback as they uneasily managed a 1-1 draw with South Africa at the Free State Toyota Stadium on Tuesday night.
Bafana Bafana came out vigorously, controlling the ball and trying to press as early as possible. The 18th-minute shot was brilliantly saved by Stanley Nwabali, but it wasn’t long before South Africa got on the scoresheet when a dangerous cross made Troost-Ekong put the ball into the net, albeit an own goal.
Firstly, the Super Eagles failed to dominate possession, yet a goal at the 45th-minute mark brought them back on level terms. Calvin Bassey with his powerful header from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru cross did not let the home fans celebrate their team for long as he equalized the score.
After halftime, Coach Eric Chelle made substitutions and brought on Tolu Arokodare and Bruno Onyemaechi. Arokodare almost scored for Nigeria with a brilliant shot, while Bafana had a good chance with a daring shot from far.
Heavily subbing off late in the game for instance with Samuel Chukwueze influence helped in more offensive play, however Nigeria did not manage to score the winning goal as the South African defense was solid in the tense final minutes.
As a consequence, the outcome leaves South Africa at the summit of Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria are second with 11, level with Benin and Rwanda, so the qualification dance continues.
