The Tremendous Eagles of Nigeria couldn’t do as a lot as they had been anticipated to do of their sixth 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier as their guests, Zimbabwe, pressured them right into a 1-1 draw.
Going into the match on the Godswill Akpabio Worldwide Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, most soccer fans predicted a straight win for the Tremendous Eagles because of the calibre of gamers within the squad and their 2-0 win over Rwanda final Friday.
Curiously, Zimbabwe’s defence proved to be a really robust nut to crack for a star-studded attacking lineup led by former African participant of the yr Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray, and the reigning African participant of the yr, Ademola Lookman.
The Tremendous Eagles followers on the stadium had been shocked because the Zimbabweans ended the primary half with out conceding any objective because the Tremendous Eagles couldn’t create any clear-cut possibilities within the first 45 minutes of the encounter.
Therefore, the second half was a make-or-mar for the Tremendous Eagles, who got here out firing and preventing to make sure that they scored a objective. Their battle to attain a objective yielded fruit within the 74th minute by way of Osimhen’s low header.
Whereas many of the Nigerian followers thought the Tremendous Eagles would stroll away with the slim win, Zimbabwe shocked the hosts as they penetrated Nigeria’s penalty field and scored the equalizer within the ninetieth minute by way of the boots of 21-year-old Tawanda Chirewa.
The Nigerian facet couldn’t flip issues round with the extra 5 minutes as Zimbabwe walked away with the 1-1 draw.
Tremendous Eagles coach, Eric Chelle couldn’t cover his frustration as he watched his staff drop factors at house.
No because of the draw, the Tremendous Eagles stay within the 4th spot in Group C with 7 factors, eight factors beneath first-placed South Africa who beat Benin Republic earlier in the present day.
