Nigeria hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered a major setback following a 1-1 draw against South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. A header in late in the first half from Calvin Bassey canceled out an unfortunate own goal by Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong as the intense clash ended in a stalemate.
How the Game Unfolded
Nigeria headed into the encounter needing a massive result to close the gap on group leaders South Africa in the battle for the automatic qualification ticket from Group C. An own goal from William Troost-Ekong gave Bafana Bafana the lead in the 25th minute, before Calvin Bassey headed in the equalizer in the 44th minute.
First half
South Africa applied pressure and troubled the Nigerian defense in the early stages of the match. Nigeria were forced into an early substitution when Ola Aina could not continue after a clash and was replaced by Osayi-Samuel. Stanley Nwabali denied Lyle Foster before Bafana Bafana took the lead in fortunate circumstances. Nigerian captain Ekong, sent a cross from Nkota into his own net to give the hosts the lead. However, Calvin Bassey headed in the equalizer before halftime after a cross from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. Replays showed that the ball hit the defender on his arm before scoring and with no VAR available , the goal was allowed to stand.
Second half
Eric Chelle rang the changes at halftime for Nigeria as they searched for victory, with Tolu Arokodare coming on for Cyriel Dessers and Ekong going off for Bruno Onyemaechi. Wilfried Ndidi was stretchered off once again as the Super Eagles suffered more injury problems. The game ended in a 1-1 draw at full time, dashing Nigeria hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament.
Nigeria Player Ratings
- GK: Stanley Nwabali – 6.5/10
- RB: Ola Aina – 5/10
- LB: Calvin Bassey– 7.5/10
- CB: William Troost-Ekong– 4/10
- CB: Benjamin Fredrick – 7.5/10
- DM: Wilfried Ndidi – 6/10
- CM: Fisayo Dele-Bashiru– 6.5/10
- AM: Alex Iwobi – 6/10
- LW: Ademola Lookman – 6/10
- RW: Moses Simon – 6/10
- ST: Cyriel Dessers– 5/10
Substitutes
- ST: Tolu Arokodare – 6/10
- LB: Bruno Onyemaechi – 6/10
- CB: Osayi-Samuel – 6/10
The Stats
- Possession: South Africa 59% – Nigeria 41%
- Shots: South Africa 8 – Nigeria 4
- Shots on target: South Africa 4 – Nigeria 2
- Corners: South Africa 2 – Nigeria 1
Man of the Match
Benjamin Fredrick – The young defender got the nod to start after an assured display against Rwanda and produced another commanding defensive display effectively shielding the backline against the pace of South Africa’s attack.
What Next?
South Africa are in pole position to qualify from the Group with 17 points while Nigeria have 11 points with two rounds of matches remaining. The final two matches to determine the automatic qualifier from the group will be determined during the next round of games in October.
