AFCON Qualifier: Super Eagles Star Explains Why Nigeria Failed to Score Against Rwanda

AFCON Qualifier: Super Eagles Star Explains Why Nigeria Failed to Score Against Rwanda

  • The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a goalless draw in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification fixture against Rwanda
  • The Nigerian team missed a flurry of gilt-edged chances in the fixture hosted at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali
  • A midfielder from the Nigerian team explained the reason why the Super Eagles failed to score in the clash against the Amavubi

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a draw in match round two of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification series against Rwanda.

The crunch fixture, which was largely tilted towards a win for the Nigerian team, featured a flurry of missed opportunities, particularly by the Super Eagles, and ended in a draw.

Super Eagles of Nigeria Players
Players of the Super Eagles of Nigeria pose for a team photo ahead of the clash against the Republic of Benin. Image: Issouf Sanogo.
Source: Getty Images

The seemingly disappointing result, though leaving Nigeria top of their Group D standings, left many fans with a sour taste in their mouths, as they continued to rue the flurry of missed chances Augustine Eguavoen's side failed to convert on the night.

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However, in the aftermath of the game, midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru explained why the Super Eagles failed to score.

Dele-Bashiru speaks on Rwanda clash

In an interview captured by OwnGoalNigeria following the fixture, the 23-year-old midfielder attributed the Super Eagles' failure to score to a combination of missed opportunities and the support of the energetic home crowd.

"I think we played well, but it's always tough to play here, especially with the cheering supporters behind them.
Despite everything, I believe we performed well and created plenty of chances. Unfortunately, we didn’t convert them, which is why the game ended goalless."

According to data courtesy of FotMob, Nigeria created over 20 chances throughout the match, hit the woodwork once, had a goal controversially disallowed, and were denied by goalkeeper, Fiacre Ntwali, who made nine crucial saves.

Read also

Rwanda vs Nigeria: Super Eagles settle for a point in Kigali in AFCON 2025 qualifiers

The Super Eagles will now aim to build on their strong form as they prepare to host Libya in the next round of qualification fixtures.

Nigerian fans slam referee

Legit.ng in another report highlighted that Nigerian fans have flooded social media with criticism of referee, Karim Sabry, after he controversially disallowed Ademola Lookman’s goal during the match against Rwanda.

The Moroccan referee ruled out the forward’s goal, citing a foul by Semi Ajayi in the build-up.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ero Samson avatar

Ero Samson (Sports Editor) Samson Ero is a sports journalist with a track record of over six years in the Nigerian media industry. He has honed his skills at EPL Partners Nigeria Limited and Transsion Holdings, where he covered various sports stories and general news working as Content Operation Specialist and Content Coordinator. He graduated from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 2023. Reach him via email at ero.samson@sportsbrief.com.

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