Nigeria’s Super Hawks can’t do less than their visitors Zimbabwe as they expected in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, forcing them into a 1-1 draw.
At the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium at Akwa Ibom State University, most football enthusiasts predicted that the Super Eagles had a straight win due to the ability of the players on the team and their 2-0 defeat to Rwanda last Friday.
Interestingly, Zimbabwe’s defense proved to be a very solid nut, for a star-studded offensive lineup led by former African Player of the Year of Galatasaray, Victor Osimhen and African Player of the Year of the Year, Ademola Lookman, who ruled the year.
As Zimbabweans ended the first half, Super Hawk fans were stunned without any goals as Super Hawks could not create any obvious chances in the first 45 minutes of the encounter.
So the second half was a success or failure of the Super Hawks, who came out and fired and fought to make sure they scored the goal. Their efforts to score the goal produced fruits through Osimhen’s low header in the 74th minute.
While most Nigerian fans think the Super Hawks will walk away with a slim victory, Zimbabwe shocked the hosts, who penetrated Nigeria’s free throw box and scored into the equalizer in the 90th minute through 21-year-old Tawanda Chirewa.
When Zimbabwe walked away with a 1-1 draw, the Nigerian side could not turn around for another five minutes.
Super Hawks coach Eric Chelle couldn’t hide his frustration as he watched his team at home drop down to score.
No thanks to the draw, the Super Eagles ranked fourth in Group C, seven points ahead of their top pick South Africa earlier today.
