Ola Aina’s limping departure in the eighth minute was an early blow to the Eagles, who needed a win to rebuild their dwindling prospects of making it to the North American championship next year.
Nigeria was unable to turn possession into goals after the interval, as replacements Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze, and Chrisantus Uche were all unable to penetrate the South African defense, despite Calvin Bassey’s equalizer right before halftime.
The NFF specifically criticized Dessers, who was substituted at halftime, in its post-match statement presented to reporters on Tuesday by NFF Director of Communications Dr. Ademola Olajire.
The statement stated that Cyriel Dessers, who was removed after an underwhelming performance in Uyo, did not have a better game because he was too sluggish to grab onto passes, was unable to win aerial balls, and contributed little to enlivening the Nigerian assault.
Additionally, the statement criticized captain Troost-Ekong for giving the Bafana Bafana the lead.
“Team captain William Ekong mistakenly swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the statement said, temporarily weakening the Super Eagles’ will to battle.
However, when the Fulham defender grabbed Nigeria’s equalizer just before halftime, the federation commended Calvin Bassey for his perseverance.
When he went with the ball up front with one minute remaining in the first quarter, Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey showed incredible tenacity and willpower to get back into the game. According to the federation, the ball reached Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met solidly to nod beyond Ronwen Williams for the equalizer.
However, it saved more criticism for the team’s performance in the second half.
Tolu Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru, two replacements, failed to convert late opportunities as the Eagles “delivered little,” according to the NFF, despite controlling possession in the second half.
South Africa leads Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria has 11 points from eight games after the draw.
To have any chance of qualifying for the World Cup in North America next year, the Super Eagles must now defeat Lesotho and Benin Republic in their remaining games and hope that opponents lose points.
