Mutiu Adepoju blames poor game management for Nigeria draw against Zimbabwe

By Monsurah Olatunji

Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju has admitted that poor game management cost the Super Eagles in their 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but he continues to support head coach Eric Chelle.

Chelle, who took charge of the national team recently, began his tenure with a promising 2-0 victory over Rwanda.

However, the subsequent 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in Uyo has raised concerns over his tactics, particularly in managing the final stages of the match.

Despite the frustrations, Adepoju, who represented Nigeria at three World Cups, believes the criticism of Chelle is premature. He urged the team to stay hopeful and said the coach should focus on addressing the mistakes made during the game.

“At this point, it would be unfair to say Chelle is a bad coach—he is not,” Adepoju told Flashscore.

“The only issue was the way the match against Zimbabwe was managed, which has put us in this situation. Now, he needs to identify the team’s mistakes and move forward for the upcoming matches. You never know what might happen. We just have to keep hope alive.”

Adepoju, however, acknowledged that poor game management was the primary factor behind Nigeria’s dropped points.

“Before the game against Zimbabwe, I said Nigeria might qualify for the World Cup, but it would be tough. Now, it is even tougher. The boys didn’t play badly, but poor game management at the end cost us the result,” he said.

The former Super Eagles midfielder noted the lack of aggression in the final moments of the match.

“There was no aggression from the players. I expected them to be more aggressive when Zimbabwe looked like they might take the lead and not let them reach our area. That could have stopped their momentum in the final moments.”

With Nigeria currently six points behind South Africa in Group C, Adepoju remains hopeful that the Super Eagles can still close the gap.

The South African team is at risk of a three-point deduction due to fielding an ineligible player in their games against Lesotho, which could bring Nigeria closer to qualification.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.

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