Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle described Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier as a positive outcome, despite needing a win to get a chance to qualify for the global football competition next year.
Bafana Bafana went ahead in the 22nd minute through a William Troost-Ekong own goal, but Calvin Bassey struck back for the Super Eagles before the break. The second half produced no further goals, as the game finished all square.
Speaking after the final whistle in Bloemfontein, Chelle shared his thoughts with reporters at the Free State Stadium.
“At the beginning of the second half, we put a lot of pressure on South Africa, but we were missing something, maybe the last technical skills, maybe the last pass,” the Malian coach said.
“So the draw with a good result, to get a draw in South Africa, it’s a good result, but for us we wanted to win, so we are a little disappointed, but this is football.”
With two games to go, Chelle’s side remains on 11 points, while South Africa leads the way with 17, and Benin follow closely on 14.
Super Eagles coach explains why Nigeria’s draw with Bafana Bafana was a good result
