WCQ: Nigeria Held to 1-1 Draw by South Africa

The Super Eagles of Nigeria drew 1-1 with the Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.

The Super Eagles needed a win to spark their hope of qualifying for next year’s World Cup.

Ahead of the match, South Africa, leading Group C, were looking to extend their advantage, while Nigeria needed a victory to keep their World Cup qualification hopes on track.

However, Super Eagles Captain, William Troost Ekong, gave South Africa the lead when he scored an own goal, but Fulham’s Calvin Bassey restored Nigeria’s hope with a powerful header just before halftime.

Following eight rounds of matches, South Africa sits top of Group C in the CAF qualifiers for the World Cup.

Bafana Bafana have 17 points, sitting six points ahead of Nigeria, who have 11 points and provisionally moved to second spot.

Nigeria now needs to finish in the top two of Group C to have a shot at World Cup qualification.

Following their 1-1 draw with South Africa, they need to win their remaining matches, against Lesotho and Benin, and also hope others in their group drop points.

Qualification for next year’s World Cup is looking unlikely for the Super Eagles. who have played at the World Cup six times but missed the last edition in Qatar in 2022.