The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has taken a swipe at Super Eagles striker, Cyriel Dessers and captain William Troost-Ekong following Tuesday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.
Naija News reports that the result leaves Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America hanging by a thread, with just two games left to play.
The Eagles’ troubles began as early as the eighth minute when defender Ola Aina limped off injured. Matters worsened in the 25th minute when Troost-Ekong mistakenly swept the ball into his own net, gifting Bafana Bafana the lead.
“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the NFF said in a statement released by its Director of Communications, Dr. Ademola Olajire.
Nigeria, however, found a way back just before half-time, thanks to defender Calvin Bassey, who was singled out for praise.
“Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller,” the federation noted.
The NFF reserved its harshest words for Cyriel Dessers, who was hauled off at half-time.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack,” the statement read.
The federation also lamented the lack of impact from substitutes Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze, and Chrisantus Uche, who failed to break down the South African defence despite Nigeria’s dominance in the second half.
The draw means Nigeria sit on 11 points from eight matches, while South Africa stays top of Group C with 17 points.
With just two matches remaining, the Super Eagles must beat Lesotho and Benin Republic while hoping group rivals drop points to have any chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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