The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has “openly criticised Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers” and “faulted captain William Troost-Ekong” following a 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The match took place in Bloemfontein, where the Eagles suffered an early setback when Ola Aina was injured.
Matters worsened when Troost-Ekong scored an own goal in the 25th minute.
In a post-match statement by the NFF Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, the federation singled out Dessers for criticism, saying, “Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack.”
The statement also “faulted skipper Troost-Ekong,” noting, “The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus.”
However, the NFF praised Calvin Bassey for his “resilience,” adding, “Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller.”
The federation “lamented” the team’s second-half performance, stating that despite dominating possession, the Eagles “delivered little.”
The draw leaves Nigeria with “11 points” from eight matches, while South Africa remains “top with 17.” To qualify for the World Cup, Nigeria must win its remaining fixtures and hope that rivals drop points.
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