3 weeks ago
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The Super Eagles of Nigeria scraped a hard-fought 2-1 triumph implicit Lesotho connected Friday evening to support their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive.
It was acold from a vintage show from Finidi George’s men successful Maseru, but goals from skipper William Troost-Ekong and debutant Jerome Adams were capable to unafraid each 3 points contempt a precocious scare from the hosts.
Nigeria started the brighter of the 2 sides, with Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman investigating the Lesotho defence aboriginal on.
The Super Eagles dominated possession but struggled to interruption down a disciplined Crocodiles backline, with Arokodare and Iwobi some coming adjacent successful the archetypal half.
The breakthrough yet came successful the 54th infinitesimal aft Mkwanazi handled the shot successful the box. Troost-Ekong stepped up successful spot of Osimhen and calmly slotted location from the spot to enactment Nigeria ahead.
Substitute Jerome Adams doubled the vantage successful the 80th minute, finishing disconnected a good determination initiated by Osimhen connected a counter-attack.
The debutant showed composure to bushed his marker and occurrence debased into the bottommost corner, seemingly securing triumph for the Super Eagles.
However, Lesotho refused to backmost down. Just 3 minutes later, Kalake capitalised connected a goalkeeping mistake from Stanley Nwabali, who failed to assertion a corner, allowing the midfielder to dink the shot into the nett and marque it 2-1.
The last minutes were frantic, with Lesotho pushing hard for an equaliser and astir snatching 1 successful stoppage clip aft different antiaircraft mix-up.
Nigeria yet held connected to unafraid a constrictive but important triumph that keeps their qualification hopes alive.
With South Africa and Benin besides successful enactment aboriginal successful the evening, the effect lifts Nigeria wrong touching region of the apical 2 successful Group C arsenic the contention for a World Cup spot enters its decisive stage.
The station 2026 WCQ: Nigeria scrape 2-1 triumph against Lesotho to support qualification hopes alive appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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