World Cup (Q): Etim Esin labels Nigeria players average after South Africa draw

Former Nigeria international Etim Esin was not impressed with the performance of Nigeria players despite their comeback to draw 1-1 against South Africa in their tense 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday.

Bafana Bafana were the first to find the back of the net after Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong beat his own goalkeeper in the 25th minute.

However, the Super Eagles levelled the scores on the stroke of halftime through defender Calvin Bassey. The two sides continued to fight for the winner in the second half, but none was able to score as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

“We have average players in the Super Eagles, the team lacks creativity, we have players who cannot confidently take on a player and beat the player one-on-one, nobody can make anything happen,” he told Completesports.com.

“It is a sad day for Nigerian football, it is unimaginable that we will miss another World Cup, it’s terrible.”

The outcome kept Bafana Bafana at the top of Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria stayed in third position with 11 points. The Super Eagles will wind up their group matches against Lesotho and Benin.

For Bafana, they will play Zimbabwe away and return home to host Rwanda.

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