The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has publicly criticized Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers and faulted captain William Troost-Ekong after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.
The Super Eagles, who needed a victory to revive their fading hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America, suffered an early setback when Ola Aina limped off in the eighth minute.
Nigeria’s hopes faded when Troost-Ekong turned the ball into his own net in the 25th minute to hand Bafana Bafana the lead.
Though Calvin Bassey headed home an equalizer just before halftime, Nigeria failed to convert possession into goals after the break, with substitutes Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze, and Chrisantus Uche all unable to break down the Bafana Bafana defense.
The NFF Director of Communications, Dr. Ademola Olajire, issued a post-match statement to journalists on Tuesday in which he singled out Dessers, who was withdrawn at half-time, for specific criticism.
“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 read.
The NFF’s statement also faulted Captain Troost-Ekong for handing the Bafana Bafana the opener.
“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,” the statement noted.
The NFF, however, praised Calvin Bassey for his resilience after the Fulham defender grabbed Nigeria’s equalizer just before the break.
“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 leveler,” the federation added.
However, it reserved more criticism for the team’s second-half performance.
Despite dominating possession in the second half, the NFF complained that the Eagles “delivered little,” pointing out that substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru failed to convert late chances.
The result leaves Nigeria with 11 points from eight Group C matches, while South Africa leads with 17.
The Super Eagles must now win against Lesotho and the Benin Republic in their final ties, as well as hope opponents drop points, to stand any chance of reaching the World Cup in America next year.
