The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has criticised Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers and captain William Troost-Ekong after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein, a result that puts Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup hopes in serious danger.
The night started badly when Ola Aina went off injured in the eighth minute. Things got worse when Ekong mistakenly scored an own goal in the 25th minute to hand Bafana Bafana the lead. Calvin Bassey equalised just before half-time, but the Eagles could not break down South Africa in the second half.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Dr Ademola Olajire, the NFF hit hard at Dessers, who was substituted at half-time.
“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he was a substitute that was substituted, did not fare any better. He was too slow to latch onto passes, failed to win aerial duels and did little to spark Nigeria’s attack,” the federation said.
The NFF also blamed Ekong’s own goal for killing the team’s momentum, though Bassey was praised for showing “immense resilience” to grab the equaliser.
But the body was far from impressed with the second-half performance, noting that despite having more of the ball, the Eagles created little and wasted late chances through substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The draw leaves Nigeria with 11 points from eight games in Group C, six points behind leaders South Africa. To stand any chance of reaching next year’s World Cup in North America, the Eagles must now beat Lesotho and Benin Republic and hope their rivals slip up.
