Home News Super Eagles Denied Victory In Finidi George’s First Official Match As Coach
NewsSports

Super Eagles Denied Victory In Finidi George’s First Official Match As Coach

392
Finidi George, Head Coach of the Senior Men National Football Team, the Super Eagles.

A crucial refereeing ‘mistake’ and many missed chances has left Nigeria’s Super Eagles with a draw. They are yet to win a match in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers following a 1-1 draw against South Africa.

Yesterday’s match at the Akpabio Stadium, Uyo marked the first official game for new head coach Finidi George.

Despite dominating early proceedings, the Super Eagles were trailing when South Africa’s Themba Zwane capitalised on a defensive lapse to slot the ball past Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead when Teboho Mokoena’s free-kick rattled the crossbar, and Nwabali and defender Benjamin Tanimu thwarted Khuliso Mudau’s one-on-one effort.

Nigeria’s response came through Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who scored his first international goal with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty box shortly after halftime.

However, controversy struck when Dele-Bashiru was brought down in the box, only for referee Alhadi Allaou Mahamat to wave away appeals for a penalty, a decision that left both the players and the crowd incensed.

The match continued to be an open contest, with both sides creating numerous chances. South Africa’s Percy Tau missed a golden opportunity to restore his team’s lead, shooting wide with only Nwabali to beat.

Nigerian substitute Samuel Chukwueze came close to scoring the winner, hitting the crossbar with a fierce shot.

In the dying minutes, Terem Moffi had a chance to secure all three points for the Super Eagles but failed to get past South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Watch Finidi George’s post-match reaction below:

Read: Iheanacho Leaves Leicester City After Seven Years, Ndidi’s Transfer Undecided

About The Author

Related Articles

Nigeria’s inflation rebasing
FinanceNews

Nigeria’s Inflation Drops to 24.48% After CPI Rebasing, Hardship Persists 

Nigeria’s inflation rate fell to 24.48 per cent in January 2025 from...

Nigerian subscribers have expressed outrage following Airtel Nigeria’s decision to increase its data and call tariffs, raising the cost of various data bundles and increasing call tariffs from 18 kobo per second to 25 kobo per second.
News

Subscribers Lament as Airtel Increases Data and Call Price by 50 per cent

Subscribers have expressed outrage following Airtel Nigeria’s decision to increase its data...

Manufacturers
BusinessNews

Manufacturers Association Says “Sector Is on Its Last Breath,” Tells FG to Stop Interest Rate Hikes

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has raised alarm over the deteriorating...

BusinessNews

Commuters Say Niger Republic Has Begun Restricting Travellers with Only ECOWAS Passport

Niger Republic has started imposing restrictions on Nigerians using the ECOWAS passport,...