{"id":872732,"date":"2025-09-13T23:11:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-14T04:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/super-eagles-now-guinea-fowls-afcon-hero-slams-nigeria-after-south-africa-draw\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T23:11:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-14T04:11:52","slug":"super-eagles-now-guinea-fowls-afcon-hero-slams-nigeria-after-south-africa-draw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/09\/13\/super-eagles-now-guinea-fowls-afcon-hero-slams-nigeria-after-south-africa-draw\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Super Eagles, now Guinea Fowls\u201d \u2013 AFCON hero slams Nigeria after South Africa draw"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Nigeria Super Eagles. Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nigeria<\/a> legend Segun Odegbami has delivered a brutal assessment of the Super Eagles following their 1-1 draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein, insisting his country did not deserve to win, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The 1980 Africa Cup of Nations<\/a> winner expressed deep frustration with the team\u2019s performance in Tuesday\u2019s World Cup qualifier, a result that leaves Nigeria\u2019s hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

The Super Eagles<\/a> went to Bloemfontein under pressure, needing victory to revive their campaign after a sluggish start.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria s Super Eagles walk off the pitch after their 1-0 victory over Rwanda s Amavubi during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With just 10 points from seven matches before kick-off, they trailed South Africa, who sat on 16 points. Nigeria extended their unbeaten record on South African soil but were unable to claim the three points they desperately needed.<\/p>\n

Odegbami did not mince words in his Guardian column<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhich Nigerian does not know that the Super Eagles were overhyped and over pampered? They had not been impressive and convincing in their performances for well for over a decade whilst changing coaches like baby Diapers, and massaging the egos of players that could not reciprocate with great performances on the field,\u201d the 1980 AFCON top goalscorer wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe country was so starved of success that when the Super Eagles managed to get to the finals of the African Cup of Nations in January of 2024, and lost, the country had an orgasm, celebrating and rewarding the team as if they had won the World Cup!<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, the country had paid for this seeming profligacy, its football remaining stagnant, not rising above that plateau, and struggling to justify a celebration that may now be considered premature.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, the Eagles have become like Guinea Fowls flying only in short stops and starts, from one match to another, at home and away, putting up average performances, and making Nigerians to feast on prayers for a simple victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the Giant of African football at a time, in a quest for a World Cup ticket with a new format that offers the largest number of teams to qualify from Africa, with Nigeria in the easiest Group!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has been limping from one uneventful match to match, with Nigerians continuing to support them in hopeless hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria. Photo by Akpan Nsidibe\/IMAGO
Copyright: xx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

On the match itself, William Troost-Ekong\u2019s own goal gave Bafana Bafana the lead before Calvin Bassey equalised with his first goal for Nigeria. Despite chances to win in the second half, Nigeria failed to convert.<\/p>\n

Odegbami believed the result was fair.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Calvin Bassey and Cyriel Dessers of Nigeria. Photo by Akpan Nsidibe\/IMAGO. Copyright: xx<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cAt the end, Nigeria did not deserve a victory and the score line (1-1) was reflective of the performances by both teams in a match played on a very bad turf as part of the strategy of the South Africans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nigeria still face Lesotho and Benin Republic in October, but qualification hopes appear slim. Missing out would mean the Super Eagles fail to reach consecutive World Cups, having also missed Qatar 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n

From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Nigeria Super Eagles. Copyright: IMAGOxAdekunlexAjayix Nigeria legend Segun Odegbami has delivered a brutal assessment of the Super Eagles following their 1-1 draw with South Africa in Bloemfontein, insisting his country did not deserve to win, Soccernet.ng reports. The 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner expressed deep frustration with the team\u2019s performance in Tuesday\u2019s World […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":872733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3577,2005,4578],"tags":[7956,6323],"class_list":{"0":"post-872732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eagles","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-super","10":"tag-eagles","11":"tag-super"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}