Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualification hopes suffered a big blow yesterday as they settled for a dramatic 1-1 draw against the Warriors of Zimbabwe, MySportDab reports.
Nigeria went into the game down to fourth in the pecking order in Group C with just six points after five rounds of matches. They needed a win against Zimbabwe to reignite qualification hopes.
For Nigerian fans, after an impressive 2-0 away win over Rwanda in matchday five, Zimbabwe shouldn’t have been a tough nut to crack at home.
However, the game veered off the projected trajectory with the Zimbabweans pulling off a formidable showing at the Godswill Obot Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. The first half ended goalless before Victor Osimhen scored his third goal in two matches, heading home a brilliant cross at the back post to give the home side the lead in the second half.
The goal saw the team trudge to the regulation time with the lead but in the first minute of added, Michael Nees’ side pulled an incredible upset, scoring in stoppage-time to peg Nigeria to a dramatic 1-1 draw.
Victor Osimhen appeared to have lost his cool with his teammates following the equalizer.
At the blast of the final, a viral footage which we have shared at the end of this post, showed the on-loan Napoli forward pushing his teammate Victor Boniface as he angrily storms off the pitch.
Osimhen’s rage is not a surprise as Nigeria teeters on the brink of missing out of the World Cup for the second time in a row.
Following the draw, the team sits fourth on the table in Group C and must win their remaining four matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the tournament.
Watch Video of the incident Here.
