Sports

NFF blasts Dessers, faults Ekong after Eagles’ draw with South Africa

Published

5 months ago

September 10, 2025

The Nigeria Football Federation has openly criticised Super Eagles striker Cyriel Dessers and faulted captain William Troost-Ekong after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.

The Eagles, who needed a victory to revive their fading hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament in North America, suffered an early setback when Ola Aina limped off in the eighth minute.

Quickly! Watch The Video Before It’s Deleted!

|Download Hot 3:00 Minutes $3x V!de0s Here

| Watch 2:00 H0t $3x V!d0es Now!

Matters got worse when Troost-Ekong turned the ball into his own net in the 25th minute to hand Bafana Bafana the lead.

Though Calvin Bassey headed home an equaliser just before half-time, Nigeria failed to convert possession into goals after the break, with substitutes Tolu Arokodare, Samuel Chukwueze and Chrisantus Uche all unable to break down the South African defence.

In its post-match statement made available to journalists on Tuesday by the NFF Director of Communications, Dr Ademola Olajire, the NFF singled out Dessers, who was withdrawn at half-time, for particular criticism.

“Cyriel Dessers, who had an unimpressive game in Uyo where he turned out to be a substitute that was substituted, did not have a better game as he was too slow to latch onto passes, could not win aerial balls and did little in bringing alive the Nigerian attack,” the statement read.

The statement also faulted skipper Troost-Ekong for handing the Bafana Bafana the opener.

“The Super Eagles’ fighting spirit was diminished for a period after team captain William Ekong inadvertently swept the ball into his own net in the 25th minute, wrong-footing Stanley Nwabali to give the Bafana the lead and great impetus,” the statement noted.

The federation, however, praised Calvin Bassey for his resilience after the Fulham defender grabbed Nigeria’s equaliser just before the break.

“Defender Calvin Bassey showed immense fighting spirit and resilience to get Nigeria back into the game with a minute left of the first period, when he ran with the ball upfront. The ball found Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, whose pull-out Bassey met firmly to nod past Ronwen Williams for the leveller,” the federation added.

But it reserved more criticism for the team’s second-half display.

Despite dominating possession in the second half, the NFF lamented that the Eagles “delivered little,” noting that substitutes Tolu Arokodare and Dele-Bashiru failed to convert late opportunities.

The draw leaves Nigeria with 11 points from eight matches in Group C, while South Africa remain top with 17.

The Super Eagles must now beat Lesotho and Benin Republic in their remaining fixtures and also hope rivals drop points to stand any chance of reaching next year’s World Cup in North America.

Quickly! Watch The Video Before It’s Deleted!

|Download Hot 3:00 Minutes $3x V!de0s Here

| Watch 2:00 H0t $3x V!d0es Now!

Trending On Naijacoaded:

Sports

Lookman scores on Atletico Madrid debut

Published

23 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Naijacoaded

Ademola Lookman scores on his debut for Atlético Madrid Ademola Lookman scores on his debut for Atlético Madrid

Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, scored on his debut for Atlético Madrid as they thrashed Real Betis 5-0 in the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.

Lookman sealed his move from Atalanta to the La Liga side early this week.

The forward scored the third goal from a counter-attacking move after David Hancko and Giuliano Simeone had put Diego Simeone’s side 2 goals up.

Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada completed the rout after the 28-year-old’s 37th-minute goal.

Atlético and Betis will face each other again on Sunday in LaLiga.

Sports

Sadiq sets unwanted record in Copa del Rey loss

Published

23 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Naijacoaded

Nigeria striker Umar Sadiq carved his name into Valencia’s history as the club stumbled to a 2-1 Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

On a night of high drama at the Mestalla, Sadiq rewrote the record books after scoring at both ends of the pitch – for Bilbao in the 26th minute and for Valencia 10 minutes later.

The Super Eagles striker became the first-ever Valencia player to score both for and against the club in a single Spanish competition match.

Sadiq is also the first La Liga player to score a goal and an own goal in a Copa del Rey match since Verza for Almeria against Getafe in January 2015.

The 27-year-old’s unusual record-setting evening began in unfortunate fashion when he attempted to deal with a dangerous free-kick into the penalty area. Under pressure, the striker could only glance the ball past his own goalkeeper, handing Athletic Bilbao an early advantage.

But Sadiq responded 10 minutes later, pouncing on a costly error from Bilbao goalkeeper Alex Padilla to roll the ball into an unguarded net and restore parity for Valencia.

However, Athletic Bilbao had the final say. Six minutes into added time, Ghana international Iñaki Williams broke Valencia hearts with a decisive strike, sealing a dramatic late victory and knocking the hosts out of the Copa del Rey.

Valencia head coach Carlos Corberán refused to apportion blame to Sadiq following the defeat.

“I didn’t see Sadiq’s gesture, but I understand he was eager to score, and an own goal is always painful,” Corberán said after the match.

“He’s contributed a lot of hard work, and no player wants to suffer an own goal.”

The equaliser marked Sadiq’s second Copa del Rey goal since returning to the club during the winter transfer window, following his earlier strike in the 2-0 win over Burgos CF.