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September 09, (THEWILL) — Nigeria fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against South Africa in their Group C qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday evening.
The Super Eagles now trail the hosts by six points at the top of the group table, leaving them with a limited margin for error in the final qualifying rounds next month.
The Super Eagles suffered an early setback when Ola Aina was forced off through injury after just 10 minutes, replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel.
Nigeria’s defence struggled to contain South Africa’s attacking threats in the opening period, with the hosts capitalising in the 25th minute when Mohau Nkota’s cross deflected off William Troost-Ekong for an unfortunate own goal following Bathusi Aubass’s through ball.
Nigeria responded positively to falling behind and restored parity before half-time through Calvin Bassey, who converted from close range after Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s cross from the right touchline reached the back post.
The Super Eagles grew stronger as an attacking force during the first half, setting up an improved second-half performance.
Coach Eric Chelle made tactical adjustments at the interval, introducing Bruno Onyemaechi and Tolu Arokodare to inject fresh impetus into Nigeria’s forward play.
Arokodare nearly gave the visitors the lead within five minutes of his introduction, sending a dangerous effort across the face of the goal that narrowly missed the target as Nigeria pushed for a winner.
The Super Eagles face a challenging path to qualification with an away match against Lesotho and a home encounter with Benin remaining in October.
Nigeria must win both fixtures whilst hoping South Africa drop points against Zimbabwe and Rwanda if they are to overturn the current six-point deficit and qualify for the global tournament straight from the group.
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Jude Obafemi, THEWILL
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
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