By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria left-back Bruno Onyemaechi has cautioned against early celebrations following Nigeria’s narrow 2-1 win over Lesotho, stressing that qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is far from guaranteed.
Nigeria secured a crucial away victory on Friday in Polokwane, with goals from William Troost-Ekong (penalty) and debutant Jerome Akor Adams. Lesotho pulled a goal back late in the game through substitute Pakane, setting up a nervy finish.
Despite the result boosting Nigeria’s chances in the qualifiers, Onyemaechi insists the team must maintain focus and raise their game in the final group fixture against Benin Republic.
“It’s a good result and we deserved the win based on how we set out to play and how we dominated,” Onyemaechi told Super Eagles Media.
“Of course, we shouldn’t have conceded that goal, but the three points matter more. We just need to raise our game for the next one — we can’t celebrate yet.”
The Olympiacos defender, who put in a composed performance at left-back, emphasized that qualification remains the primary objective, and the team must give everything in their final match.
“I have confidence in this team, and we will keep working hard to deliver the result we need,” he added.
Nigeria will host Benin Republic on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, with a win likely to secure a place in the next round of World Cup qualifiers, depending on other group results.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
