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Despite the draw result against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday evening which has left Nigeria six points adrift of Group C leaders, South Africa, Head Coach, Eric Sekou Chelle, remains optimistic of Super Eagles qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
With two matches left to play, Nigeria’s direct qualification appears hazy as South Africa need just a win and a draw to pick the ticket with 21 points.
Benin Republic on 14 points after demolishing Lesotho 4-0 on Tuesday night, can take the runners up slot if they win a game and draw the other to attain 18 points.
The highest Eagles can attain now is 17 points, that is, if they win the two games remaining against Lesotho and Benin Republic next month.
But Coach Chelle believes that qualification is still possible for Nigeria and that his team will fight until the end for a place at the 2026 World Cup to be hosted
in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“To draw with South Africa in South Africa is a good result, but we wanted to win, so we’re a bit disappointed,” Chelle observed shortly after the hard fought draw game in Bloemfontein.
“My players are professionals, and I know they will still want to win the remaining two games. A lot can happen over the next one month. But before that, we will have to analyse our performance on Tuesday, which will not be easy.”
The Franco-Mali born gaffer however praised his players performance despite failing to secure maximum points in their World Cup qualifying clash against South Africa. His Captain, William Ekong inadvertently swept a clearance into Super Eagles net before Calvin Bassey equalised with his first international goal for Nigeria.
“For me, it was a great game with a lot of intensity and aggression,” observed the former Mali gaffer. “Both teams tried to play good football despite the (poor) pitch. Congratulations to South Africa, they had a very strong game, and I’m proud of my team as well.”
Chelle admitted that Eagles’ game plan was to take all three points to keep alive their qualification hopes.
“We came here to win, we took risks by keeping a one-on-one setup at the back, but unfortunately, in just 10 seconds, we conceded. After that, the players showed great spirit to fight back.”
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