Connect with us

World Cup

Lesotho upset error prone Super Eagles in World Cup qualifier

blank

Published

on

BY KUNLE SOLAJA,  Uyo

What a sloppy way to open a World Cup qualifying campaign!  The Super Eagles had to struggle to hold Lesotho to a 1-1 draw on Thursday at the Godwill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo to signal what will most likely be a laborious campaign to the 2026 World Cup.

 

  1. Sloppy goalkeeping,  characteristic of the teamas well as  feeble attack and elements of ill luck all combined to rob the Super Eagles of an anticipated victory.
    Jose Peseiro still have a lot of explanation to make for his fixation on Francis Uzoho in goa for Nigeria. He put every foot wrong and appeared unsettled throughout the match.
    And so, for the first time,  Lesotho chalked up a point from an encounter with Nigeria. The sloppy performance of the Super Eagles should however not eclipse the excellent display by Lesotho.
    They appeared to have all the antidotes to the sleeky style the Nigerian players were exhibiting. Special praise to their goalkeeper, Sekhoane Moerane whose flexibility and agility complemented the ill luck that appeared to have afflicted the Super Eagles.
    Time and time again in the first half, the Super Eagles appeared to prefer walking the ball into the net rather than taking shots.  The coach, apparently reserving the best legs, left utility Moses Simon and Sadiq Umar on the bench.
    The goal by Motlomelo Mkwanazi  for  Lesotho in the 56th minute jolted him to introduce Simon, Umar and Ayodele Aribo who all combined to change the tempo of the game and piled pressure on Lesotho.
    This paid off in the 67th minute when defender, Semilogo Ajayi employed his good hight to nod home and salvaged a point for Nigeria.

Now it is advantage South Africa who opens their campaign with a home match against Benin on Saturday. A win put them on the driver’s seat Group C.

On Sunday, the Super Eagles will face Zimbabwe at home.

 

Advertisement

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

World Cup

World Cup 2026 matches may be held at 9 A.M.

blank

Published

on

blank

With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.

According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.

The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.

One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.

“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.

Advertisement

Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.

However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.

The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.

Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.

FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.

Advertisement

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Continue Reading

World Cup

FIFA’s Wenger promises better pitch quality at 2026 World Cup

blank

Published

on

blank

FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.

The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.

“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”

Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.

“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.

Advertisement

“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”

“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”

-Reuters

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

World Cup

Congo to resume World Cup qualifiers after missing their matches

blank

Published

on

blank

Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.

Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.

Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.

During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.

A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.

Advertisement

But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.

Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.

Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.

The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.

FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.

Advertisement

Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.

-Reuters

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Most Viewed