Olaleye Idowu
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has blamed his side’s profligacy in front of goal as a reason for the draw with Zimbabwe.
The West Africans were held to a 1-1 draw by the Warriors in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Tuesday night.
The result put a dent in Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the global soccer fiesta.
The Super Eagles dominated the opening exchanges, with Moses Simon and Victor Osimhen missing chances to break the deadlock.
Zimbabwe goalkeeper, Washington Arubi also produced many quality saves to deny the hosts.
Chelle said his team could have scored up to 10 goals in the first half.
“What can I say about the first half? Normally, we could have scored ten goals in the first half. You make some mistake in the last technical skills, and Zimbabwe comes to defend and stop the game,” Chelle said after the game.
“What can I say about the first half? Normally, we could have scored ten goals in the first half. You make some mistake in the last technical skills and Zimbabwe comes to defend and stop the game,” Chelle said.
Substitute Chawanda Chirewa scored a late equaliser for the Warriors to cancel out Victor Osimhen’s 74th opener.
The Malian said his players became too relaxed after scoring.
“In the second half, when we scored the goal, we thought maybe it is finished. It’s tough, it’s hard because my players and my team were the better team on the pitch,” he added.
