Again, Eagles Drop Another Two Points, Hold Zimbabwe 1-1

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles rally back from a goal down to play another 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe Sunday afternoon in Rwanda.

After similarly fighting back to draw 1-1 with Lesotho in Uyo last Thursday, the three-time African champions were expected to beat the Harambee Stars and temporarily leapfrog South Africa to the top of Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series.

However, that dream became a tough one and almost becoming a nightmare until substitute Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to grab the equaliser in the 67th minute.

The Zimbabweans took the lead in the 26^th minute through a 30-metre free kick by Walter Musona who floated the ball over the Nigerian wall of defence and beat a hapless Francis Uzoho in goal.

This sluggish start of the Super Eagles to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers portends a grave danger as South Africa may end up picking the group’s only ticket. 

The Bafana Bafana are likely to beat Rwanda in their next match Tuesday to go six points on top of the table, a clear four points advantage over Nigeria. 

Nigeria have no more fixtures this year until mid 2024 when they will take on South Africa for their third match in the series.