“We were the best team,” Chelle defends Super Eagles despite Zimbabwe draw

• Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes took another blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe
• Wilfred Ndidi had a golden chance to seal victory in stoppage time, but his miss summed up a frustrating night for the Super Eagles
• The draw extends Nigeria’s struggles in World Cup qualifiers, leaving them in dire need of a dramatic turnaround to keep their 2026 hopes alive

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered another setback as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe. 

Despite dominating a better part of the match, the Super Eagles failed to see off their opponents, conceding a last-minute equaliser that left them fourth in Group C with just seven points. South Africa, meanwhile, extended their lead at the top of the group, leaving Nigeria with a steep hill to climb.

Eric Chelle’s men entered the match buoyed by a recent 2-0 victory over Rwanda and looked to build on that momentum. They controlled possession early on, pushing Zimbabwe back with waves of attacks. However, their inability to capitalise on key chances proved costly.

After relentless pressure, Nigeria eventually broke the deadlock in the 74th minute. Victor Osimhen, as clinical as ever, met a low cross from Moses Simon with a precise header, sending the home fans into raptures. 

The Super Eagles looked to have secured a vital three points, but defensive frailties reared their head once again.

Zimbabwe nearly equalised moments later when they struck the crossbar, a warning Nigeria failed to heed. Then, in the dying moments of the game, disaster struck. 

Tawanda Chirewa pounced on slack defending to fire past Stanley Nwabali at the near post, stunning the crowd and handing Zimbabwe a precious point.

Chelle, while admitting his side made errors, insisted they were the better team on the night, “We made some mistakes, but we were the best team on the pitch,” he said in his post-match press conference. 

The Nigerian coach refrained from singling out his defenders for criticism, choosing instead to place responsibility on the entire squad.

Nigeria had one final opportunity to reclaim their lead, but Wilfred Ndidi failed to convert a golden chance, summing up a frustrating evening for the Super Eagles. Now, with qualification hanging by a thread, they must regroup quickly and find solutions before their next crucial fixture.

Onigbinde urges Super Eagles coach Chelle to harness Nigeria’s talent for World Cup success

Previously, TheRadar reported that former national team coach Chief Adeboye Onigbinde has urged newly appointed Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle to effectively manage the country's vast talent pool as he takes on the challenge of leading the Super Eagles.

Despite this abundance of quality, Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign has been disappointing.