By Korede James
Zimbabwe head coach Michael Nees believes Super Eagles of Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes are over following their 1-1 draw with the Warriors in Uyo on Tuesday.
Victor Osimhen put the Super Eagles ahead 16 minutes from time, but Tawanda Chirewa equalised for Zimbabwe in the 90th minute, practically ending any little hope Nigeria had of winning African qualifying Group C.
The result leaves the Super Eagles in fourth place, six points behind leaders South Africa, who defeated Benin Republic 2-0 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire also on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe are still bottom of the standings, with only one automatic World Cup ticket available to the six-team group.
“We know when things don’t go 100 percent Nigeria’s way they get frustrated, they start to panic,” Nees said during his post-match press conference.
“I remember your captain said we should forget about getting a result here.
“Like I said, the World Cup qualification is over when it’s over and if it is over for us, then it is over for Nigeria because how many points do Nigeria have, you are not first or second.
“Nigeria came into the game full of confidence after the win against Rwanda and we knew the longer the game went the slower they would get, and it was exactly the way it was.”
Nees suggested that the Super Eagles were lucky to escape with a draw.
He added: “We showed that we don’t give up and I think with three more minutes we would have come away with a win, because I think in defence your team was dead physically.
“We showed we can play football; we didn’t park the bus. Nigeria started aggressively and wanted to end the game quickly but it didn’t work out. We resisted, we showed resilience.”
