South Africa held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday in Bloemfontein, leaving the Super Eagles on the brink of missing out on the 2026 World Cup.
The Bafana Bafana took the lead midway through the first half via an unfortunate own-goal from William Troost-Ekong, but Calvin Bassey restored parity with a header just before halftime. Nigeria traveled to Bloemfontein with everything on the line, knowing a win was crucial to keeping their qualification hopes alive.
Head coach Eric Chelle made several changes to the starting XI following a narrow win over Rwanda, handing starts to skipper Troost-Ekong, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Cyriel Dessers in place of Frank Onyeka, Bruno Onyemaechi, and the injured Victor Osimhen.
The Eagles were dealt an early blow when fullback Ola Aina limped off in the 10th minute and was replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel.
South Africa dominated the early exchanges and tested goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali before going ahead through Troost-Ekong’s own-goal.
The setback sparked a response from Nigeria, who grew into the game in the final 15 minutes of the first half. Bassey, playing at left-back, initiated the move that led to the equalizer, connecting with Dele-Bashiru’s precise cross in the 44th minute.
Despite heavy pressure in the closing moments, the half ended 1-1.
At the start of the second half, Chelle made two substitutions: Tolu Arokodare replaced Dessers, while Bruno Onyemaechi came on for Troost-Ekong.
The Super Eagles continued to press, with Arokodare creating opportunities, including a near-miss and a blocked shot from a fine pass by substitute Christantus Uche. Despite their efforts, Nigeria could not find a winner, and the match ended in a draw.
The result leaves the Super Eagles’ World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, six points behind South Africa with just two games remaining.
Nigeria will conclude their qualifying campaign in October against Lesotho and Benin.
