The senior national team of Nigeria kept their hope of making it to the 2026 World Cup with a nervy 2-1 away win over Lesotho, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigeria went ahead in the game when William Troost-Ekong converted from the spot to put Nigeria ahead in the second half following a hand ball incident.
Substitute Jerome Akor netted on his debut to give Nigeria a 2-0 lead, but a mix up in the Nigerian box between goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and Wilfred Ndidi in a bid to clear a corner kick, handed an opening to Lesotho to pull a goal back.
Nigeria pushed and worked hard to sustain the win, which mean they go into Tuesday’s game against Benin Republic, which is their last in the series with the hope of picking a win and hope result go their way.
We rate the performance of the players who were on parade for Nigeria in the game.
Stanley Nwabali – Gifted Lesotho a goal with a poor punch, and almost handed them the chance to draw level when he was involved in another mix up with Semi Ajayi in the last minute of the game. Lucky that it drifted wide…..5/10
Benjamin Fredrick – Another flawless performance from the 20 year old despite playing at right back. Didn’t put a foot wrong for the entire duration of the game…..9/10
Bruno Onyemaechi – A much better showing than in previous games. However didn’t look quite comfortable in the closing stages of the game…..6/10
William Troost-Ekong – Looked suspect all through the game but took his goal from the spot brilliantly. A steady performance where he showed his leadership qualities…..7/10
Wilfred Ndidi – A subdued performance not helped with the fact that he played in a midfield two with Alex Iwobi. Was up for a fight and was unlucky not to have won a penalty when he was hacked in the box…..7/10
Alex Iwobi – Once again put up a very determined and dominance performance. Ran the show in the middle for Nigeria with passes and also came close to scoring with a rasping drive from range…..8/10
Moses Simon – Defended really well in the first half and in the second half took the game to Lesotho. Had an effort cleared off the line and was unlucky not to have an assist. A strong showing…..8/10
Tolu Arokodare – So much was expected from him playing in a two man attack with Osimhen, but didn’t dovetail nicely with wayward passes, heavy touch and missed a glorious header on the stroke of half time…..5/10
Victor Osimhen – He was his usual battling self. Running into ever ball in his path keeping the defence of Lesotho stretched and busy. Set up Akor nicely for Nigeria’s second goal…..8/10.
Substitute:
Jerome Akor – Scored on his debut and was very lively. A strong runner who gave the team a different dimension in attack upon his introduction…..7/10
