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The Super Eagles of Nigeria suffered a 2-1 defeat against Benin Republic in their 2026 World Cup qualification match. Played at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
This loss drops Nigeria to fifth place in Group C, significantly reducing their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria came into the game following a 1-1 draw with South Africa just four days earlier. Head coach George Finidi made changes, with Raphael Onyedika substituting for Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Terem Moffi starting instead. of Paul Onuachu, the team struggled to improve their performance. While they showed moments of brilliance at the beginning of the match, with Onyedika’s goal in the 27th minute giving them the lead, defensive errors proved costly.
Benin seized the opportunity after a defensive lapse to level the score through Jodel Dossou, and shortly after, Steve Mounie’s goal gave them the lead.
As a result of this defeat, the Eagles find themselves in fifth place in the qualification group, having secured only three points from four games. They currently trail behind Zimbabwe, who have a game in hand.
Netizens have also shared their reactions to Nigeria’s loss. Here are a few:
@SchoolsinNaija tweeted, “Without Nigeria at the World Cup, it won’t even be interesting®. The only joy now is that, even if Ghana and South Africa qualify, they’ll still come back home after the group stage.”
@peekaaboo expressed, “Super Eagles are really disappointing the country.”
@iamsammiebrown commented, “Nigerians are big losers, they don’t know anything.”
@EAkpotue questioned, “Later if I speak my mind, they’ll say it’s cyberbullying, that we don’t consider players’ mental health. Do these players even consider our mental health?”
