It was a rollercoaster of emotions at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, Pietersburg in South Africa, as the Super Eagles of Nigeria sealed a 2-1 win over Lesotho, Soccernet.ng reports.
After a lacklustre first-half performance, the Super Eagles were awarded a penalty kick in the 53rd minute after Lesotho’s Rethabile Mokokoane handled Moses Simon’s shot in the 18-yard box.
Captain William Troost-Ekong stepped to convert his spot kick, sending the ball to the left side of Sekhoane Moerane’s goal. The 28-year-old goalkeeper got down to the same side, but the ball narrowly went past him.
Tolu Arokodare didn’t have the best night and was withdrawn in the 63rd minute, with Akor Adams coming on for his debut.
The Sevilla man found the back of the net in the 80th minute, scoring a brilliant solo attempt before Lesotho grabbed one back three minutes later after an error from Stanley Nwabali.
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Here are Soccernet.ng‘s takeaways from Nigeria’s victory over Lesotho:
Poor tactical arrangement from Chelle
Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, fielded a front four of Moses Simon, Ademola Lookman, Tolu Arokodare and Victor Osimhen.
However, the four simply didn’t get going, especially in the first half. Tolu and Osimhen continually made similar runs, fighting for the same ball, and a clear lack of cohesion was evident from both strikers.
Another attempt at playing Lookman centrally didn’t pay off, and the Atalanta man looks like a shadow of the forward who won the UEFA Europa League a year ago.
Ademola Lookman is still not himself
A failed transfer to Inter Milan saw the former RB Leipzig man miss out on the team’s pre-season training, and he’s yet to get to optimal fitness after recovering from a calf injury.
The 27-year-old has played just 64 minutes of club football for Ivan Juric’s side this season, and will miss the clash against Benin Republic after picking up a yellow card against Lesotho for shoving an opposition player.
Akor Adams’ spectacular debut
The Sevilla striker has been in fine form over the last three games, scoring against Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona, and now, Lesotho.
Adams came on in the 63rd minute and showed great composure in the 80th minute after latching onto Victor Osimhen’s pass. He beat his man before sending his shot into the bottom corner.
His introduction to the game changed Nigeria’s approach, as things opened up and more chances followed.
Stanley Nwabali unreliable
While Lesotho barely had a sniff of a goal, the Chippa United goalkeeper individually brought the opponents back into the game, and the goal he conceded could ultimately cost the Super Eagles when the qualifiers are done.
His failed parry from a corner led to a goal, and Lesotho nearly drew level when he gave the ball away again when Semi Ajayi came on.
Ekong yet to redeem himself for the Super Eagles
While the captain stepped up to score from the spot, Ekong celebrated in a manner that hinted he’d atoned for his own goal against South Africa.
However, a few minutes later, he committed an error that nearly led to a goal chance for Lesotho. Additionally, following Nwabali’s error, his recovery pace wouldn’t have allowed him to get to the ball if it was running towards goal.
Ekong’s errors have cost Nigeria four points in their qualification journey. Had they gotten all the points from these games, they would have been comfortably top of Group C, heading to the 2026 FIFA World Cup on North American soil.