Nigeria’s Super Eagles coach José Peseiro expressed disappointment in their 1-1 draw result against Lesotho in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday.
Playing in front of a giant crowd at the stadium, the expectations were high that the Super Eagles were going to have it relatively easy against Lesotho, which is ranked 113th in the world.
But it turned out to be a near fiasco as the Crocodiles took the lead in the 56th minute against the run of play.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession, Peseiro and his men could only chase the game for a draw.
“We had 76 percent possession of the ball against 24 for Lesotho,” he said. “We created many opportunities to score. Our opponent only had two shots and scored from one of it.
I am sad, of course, and a bit disappointed, also. But my team tried to get the maximum points. I am sad because of the result, but about the performance, Lesotho stayed behind all through for 90 minutes. They only came forward two or three times.”
On Sunday, the Super Eagles, however, have a chance to get their campaign back on track when they face Zimbabwe in their second clash of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Earlier, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, who are also in Group C of the qualification campaign, drew goalless, while South Africa will take on Benin Republic in the same lot on Saturday.
