2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Mkwanazi, Semi Ajayi Score as Lesotho Holds Nigeria to 1-1 Draw in Uyo
(UYO, Made In Africa Sport) – The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw by the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Thursday.
The FIFA World Cup qualifier match saw the visiting Masotho take an early lead through Mkwanazi’s goal in the 56th minute, dashing the hopes of chanting Eagles fans.
Substitute Moses Simon, who came in for Ademola Lookman, caused more problems for the Lesotho defence. Finally, in the 67th minute, a well-timed corner kick from Kelechi Iheanacho met the head of Semi Ajayi, bringing Nigeria back into the game.
However, several attempts from Nigeria, including a well-timed shot from Victor Boniface, couldn’t materialize into any goals that would have secured the win.
Terem Moffi had a chance for an extra-time goal, but his head couldn’t connect with the ball to find the back of the net.
In the end, Nigeria battled to a 1-1 draw in Uyo against visiting Lesotho.
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During the post-match conference, the head coach of the Lesotho National team, Leslie Notsie, stated that the match against Nigeria was needed to expose his players.
“We were expecting a tough encounter. Nigeria is one of the best footballing countries on the continent, and we came here knowing that it was going to be very difficult for us. At the same time, we believed in ourselves. The likes of Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast are good exposure for us (Lesotho team); it will help the team grow,” the coach said.
“In today’s match, we are satisfied. A draw with Nigeria is a big result for us, and we need to build up from here,” the coach added.
Not for the World Cup Ticket, but for Enjoyment
The Crocodiles’ coach, Notsie, when asked whether his team is aiming for a World Cup ticket against powerhouses like Nigeria and South Africa in the same group, said the team will take every match one at a time and enjoy themselves in every game.
“We are going to take one step at a time. We need to go against Benin in three days’ time, see how best we can get a good performance. Then gradually, maybe after four matches, we can talk about qualification. But for now, we just need to enjoy the moment,” the coach said.
The head coach of the Super Eagles, Jose Pesiero, during the post-match conference, said it was disappointing for the Eagles to have drawn against Sao Tome in Uyo but insisted that good teams don’t always win.
“No excuses. Sometimes you can shoot more, play more than your opponent and still lose the game. Our strikers didn’t score today. We tried to play two strikers against Sao Tome. Today, sometimes I felt they don’t have that coordination,” the gaffer said.
The goalscorer, Semi Ajayi, who stepped in to head home for the Super Eagles’ equalizer, told reporters that the team didn’t look down on the Lesotho team and will definitely learn from their mistakes.
“We took this game very seriously. We gave our best. We didn’t take them lightly. We prepared for the game as we prepared for every other game. I think it was just unfortunate not to convert those chances. We will learn from this and do better in the next one,” Semi said during the post-match conference.
Head-to-head
The last time the Super Eagles of Nigeria played against the Crocodiles of Lesotho was in 2020, and the game played in Nigeria ended with the Super Eagles taking all three points and three goals.
However, Thursday’s encounter between the two sides saw Nigeria battle for a draw against the Crocodiles.
The captain of the Crocodile National Team, Serkhoane Moerane, said that the team only came to Uyo to enjoy themselves, as instructed by the coach.
“My side, I came here just to enjoy myself, like my coach said. So today he said, today just go there and have fun, so I just went there and had a lot of fun.”
