Polokwane, South Africa: The Super Eagles of Nigeria averted a crisis with a dramatic 2–1 victory over Lesotho on Friday to keep alive their 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket bid.
The match was a frustrating one for the first half of the game but captain William Troost-Ekong started the scoring from the penalty spot and then a debutant Akor Adams with a calm finish in the 80th minute made it 2-0 for Nigeria.
Lesotho, however, scored a late goal after a defensive mistake and thus the last minutes were a bit of a struggle for the Nigerian team but they managed to hold on to the win.
Coach Eric Chelle’s team playing a 4-4-2 formation had a hard time getting tempo in the first half of the match and shots by Alex Iwobi and Tolu Arokodare didn’t bear fruit. The game-winning goal was a result of Ademola Lookman’s cross that led to a handball in the penalty area and Troost-Ekong made no mistake from the spot. Adams, coming on as a substitute, wrapped up the points with a neat debut goal after the good work of Victor Osimhen.
Lesotho scored in the last minutes of the game create a moment of confusion for the Super Eagles, but the Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and the defence were able to defend well and keep the pressure at bay.
Nigeria’s victory still see them remain in third place in Group C with 14 points one less than South Africa and three points behind the leaders Benin.
The Super Eagles will have to beat Benin, and get a favorable result in another match, to qualify for the tournament.
