October 19, (THEWILL) — Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, kicked the ball into the Beninois net within three minutes of kick-off at he Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, sending the home crowd into a frenzy on a humid Tuesday evening. The Super Eagles needed this dominance to salvage their 2026 World Cup qualification bid. Osimhen struck again again 14 minutes before half-time, then completed his hat-trick six minutes into the second half. Substitute Frank Onyeka added a fourth goal in stoppage time with a firm right-footed shot from the centre of the box, assisted by Moses Simon.
The 4-0 victory lifted Nigeria to 17 points from 10 matches in Group C, enough for second place and a play-off spot among Africa’s four best runners-up. Yet celebrations tempered as news filtered through from Mbombela Stadium: South Africa had taken a fifth-minute lead against Rwanda through Thalente Mbatha, followed by Oswin Apollis just before the break and Evidence Makgopa midway through the second half. Bafana Bafana finished with 18 points, securing automatic qualification and denying Nigeria control over their fate. For the Super Eagles, this marked the end of a campaign defined by inconsistency, where early promise gave way to dependence on results elsewhere. The play-offs now offer a lifeline, but failure there would mean missing consecutive World Cups after the 2022 Qatar absence.
Nigeria entered the qualifiers as three-time African champions with a squad boasting talents from Europe’s top leagues, yet the path unravelled from the outset. Under ex-coach Jose Peseiro, the team drew 1-1 with Lesotho and 1-1 with Zimbabwe in November 2023, then suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Benin in June 2024 that exposed defensive frailties and prompted the coach’s departure after the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2024. Peseiro’s exit followed Nigeria’s final loss to Ivory Coast, despite reaching that tournament’s showpiece.
Finidi George took over in April 2024, but his tenure lasted two matches: a 1-0 away win over South Africa and the Benin reverse, after which he resigned amid reported tensions in the squad especially with Osimhen, who had publicly questioned the coach’s decisions. Augustine Eguavoen stepped in as caretaker, managing draws against South Africa and Zimbabwe in June and September 2024, plus wins over Lesotho and Rwanda. The Nigeria Football Federation targeted Bruno Labbadia in August 2024, but contract talks collapsed, leaving the team in limbo until Eric Chelle’s permanent appointment in January 2025.
This carousel of changes mirrored broader administrative issues within the federation, where funding delays and selection disputes hampered preparation. South Africa, by contrast, maintained stability under Hugo Broos, who guided them through a group complicated by a September 2025 FIFA sanction: Three points deducted and their 2-0 win over Lesotho annulled for fielding ineligible midfielder Teboho Mokoena, suspended after two prior yellow cards. That penalty dropped Bafana Bafana to second behind Benin entering the October window, with Nigeria a point further back in third. A Benin draw would have sufficed for a play-off place, but Osimhen’s clinical finishing dismantled them, leaving the Squirrels in third on 17 points.
Group C’s final standings underscored the fine margins: South Africa’s 18 points from five wins and three draws, Nigeria’s 17 from four wins and five draws, Benin’s 17 from five wins and two draws. Lesotho claimed 12 points in fourth, while Rwanda managed 11. Across Africa, nine teams claimed direct berths: Egypt, Cape Verde, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Senegal and Ivory Coast, leaving the play-offs to decide a 10th via inter-confederation matches. Nigeria’s second-place finish positioned them favourably among runners-up, but the campaign exposed systemic flaws. The Super Eagles scored fifteen goals in ten games and conceded eight, often through set-piece lapses or midfield turnovers. Early draws stemmed from sluggish starts; against Zimbabwe in March 2025, they trailed before equalising late, a pattern repeated versus South Africa.
Tactical decisions under Chelle showed promise but faltered in key moments. The 4-2-3-1 formation relied heavily on Osimhen’s hold-up play and aerial threat, with wingers like Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon providing width, yet the team struggled to break down compact defences. In the 1-1 draw with South Africa in Uyo, Nigeria dominated possession but managed so few shots on target. Chelle’s preference for a high press worked against weaker sides like Lesotho, where they won 2-1 away, but against Benin earlier, it left spaces exploited on the counter. The coach admitted post-match that errors in build-up play cost points, particularly in transitions where midfielders Frank Onyeka and Wilfred Ndidi lost duels. Without suspended Ademola Lookman against Benin, the attack flowed through Osimhen, but his isolation up front highlighted a lack of secondary threat.
Psychological factors compounded these issues, rooted in the off-field turmoil. Players spoke of disrupted rhythm from four head coaches in 18 months, with Osimhen’s public fallout with Finidi eroding trust and focus. Chelle inherited a squad carrying baggage from the Africa Cup of Nations final defeat; they entered qualifiers expecting easy progression, only to face tough resilience from Benin and Zimbabwe. Mental fatigue showed in late concessions, like Zimbabwe’s equaliser in March 2025 from a Troost-Ekong error. Also, constant managerial changes and techniques prevented cohesion, with players adapting to new systems mid-campaign such as Eguavoen’s defensive setup versus Chelle’s attacking shift. Osimhen, scorer of six goals in qualifiers, bore the burden, his hat-trick against Benin a release valve, but team-wide anxiety surfaced in huddles.
Compared to South Africa, Nigeria’s lapses stood out. Broos’s side absorbed pressure and struck clinically, their three goals against Rwanda from structured counters. Bafana Bafana’s unity, forged over two years, contrasted Nigeria’s fragmentation. Nigeria’s overreliance on individuals mirrored past failures, like the 2018 qualifiers where draws cost them qualification. Chelle praised the Benin’s display as dominant but admitted earlier wastefulness. However, the blend of talent and turmoil in the squad has left Nigeria unbeaten under Chelle, five wins, two draws in seven, but unable to seize momentum, finishing with a plus-seven goal difference that edged them into play-offs over other groups’ runners-up.
The fallout now centres on accountability. On 16 October 2025, the Nigeria Football Federation’s technical committee convened to assess coaches of the country’s male teams, including Chelle whose two-year contract includes performance clauses tied to results. Rumours of dismissal swirl, but achieving the play-off berth may be enough justification for continuity into November’s semi-final, which is set to be against Gabon in Morocco.
The play-offs represent redemption or regression. A win against Gabon on November 13 advances Nigeria to the final four days later; victory there sends them to FIFA’s inter-confederation draw against teams from Asia, Europe, North America or Oceania. Gabon, with a strong attacking line led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, poses the immediate test, but Chelle’s squad includes depth, Osimhen’s form, Alex Iwobi’s distribution, Lookman’s return, that could see the Super Eagles prevail.
Long-term, the squad must come to terms with the circumstances they have brought themselves and resolve to improve on the performance against Benin if they mean business to not just qualify for the North America World Cup but to go there and give a proper account of themselves. Six World Cup appearances, including three straight from 2010 to 2018, should inform them of the country’s potential. Another miss after Qatar risks eroding fan faith.
The 4-nil Benin rout offers momentum, but the question remains whether it ignites a seventh finals appearance or fades into familiar regret. The Super Eagles prepare for Morocco, where precision must replace complacency and the expectations of domestic fans, to cheer their national team at the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, comes to life. They deserve nothing less.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
