By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Chelle, has admitted that his side’s inability to control key moments in the game led to their disappointing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe on Tuesday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Victor Osimhen put Nigeria ahead in the 74th minute, but a late equalizer from Chawanda Chirewa in stoppage time cost the Super Eagles two valuable points.
The draw dampened Nigeria’s hopes of securing a place in next year’s World Cup and Chelle identified lapses in concentration and fatigue as key factors that contributed to the draw.
“The players might have been a little tired, and this led to a lapse in concentration, which cost us the goal,” he explained to media.
“It’s hard for me to analyze the game fully right now because, honestly, I feel we deserved to win.
“We created chances, we were aggressive, and we played well in the first half. But we need to learn how to manage the game better when we’re ahead.”
Currently, the Super Eagles sit in fifth place in Group C with seven points, six points behind leaders South Africa.
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.
