The Super Eagles are in a precarious situation. They occupy fourth place in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers — below Benin Republic, Rwanda, and group leaders South Africa. Bogged down by disappointing results, the Eagles watch pitifully as the automatic qualification ticket sails farther away.
The Eagles were condemned to win their games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe if they were to remain in serious contention for the ticket. For a team of players often styled as the most talented in Africa, it seemed a simple task, but it was botched. The Eagles went into the latest round of games with their destiny in their hands. But when the final whistle was blown at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday evening, that destiny was already sailing halfway down the Orange River into the grasp of South Africa.
Victor Osimhen ran and ran and ran. He fought and fought and fought. But it was only good for a 2-0 victory against Rwanda. It was insufficient to carry Nigeria over the line against Zimbabwe after taking the lead. Tawanda Chiwenda stole into the Nigerian goal area in the 90th minute. He beat William Troost-Ekong to a pass, danced past the Eagles captain, and toe-poked the ball under the arms of Stanley Nwabali. A stab that deflated the bouncing castle of jubilation at the Uyo stadium into a dirge of hisses and lamentations.
Late goal. Late drama. Late capitulation. Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles head coach, is familiar with those. He was the coach of Mali when they were eliminated in the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by Cote d’Ivoire through late goals in 2024. Nigerians are also familiar with the anguish, as it has wreaked havoc in a handful of crucial matches for decades.
Here are eight moments when late goals created dire consequences for the Super Eagles in big games.
USA ’94 WORLD CUP SECOND ROUND
The Super Eagles’ World Cup debut was truncated by a late goal. Nigeria had rocked onto the world stage with swagger and substance. The team mowed down a stacked Bulgarian side in their opening game and defeated Greece in the final group game. They finished top in a group that included Diego Maradona and Argentina.
Straight into the second round against Italy. The Italians finished with bronze medals at the World Cup and had a pony-tailed weapon in Roberto Baggio, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner. However, Nigeria were oblivious to status and pedigree, and the Eagles were ahead in the 26th minute. Emmanuel Amunike reacted quickest to a defensive lapse following a Nigerian corner and jabbed the Eagles ahead.
The Eagles held on. Austin Eguavoen even got Gianfranco Zola sent off for a vicious tackle. But Baggio equalised for the Italians in the 89th minute. He was set up nicely by Roberto Mussi, and the Ballon d’Or winner rolled the ball past Peter Rufai into the Nigerian net with a single minute of added time remaining.
Baggio then got his second of the game in the extra-time via penalty, and the Eagles were eliminated from the competition.
TUNISIA 2004 AFCON SEMI-FINAL
The scenario of late goals hurting the Super Eagles reared its head against Tunisia in the 2004 African Cup of Nations semi-final.
The Eagles were in fine form. They had qualified for the semi-final following a comeback victory against Cameroon in the quarter-final. Tunisia, the hosts, were propelled by the buzz of the home fans that flooded the venue.
But Nigeria were not bothered and went ahead in the 65th minute. Nwankwo Kanu was heckled down in the Tunisian goal area by Karim Haggui, and an in-form Jay Jay Okocha sent Ali Boumnijel the wrong way from the resulting penalty.
Nigeria thought they had seen off the hosts with that lead until the final ten minutes. The Tunisians got a penalty when Seyi Olofinjana brought down Ziad Jaziri in the Nigerian goal area. In the 82nd minute, Khaled Badra dispatched the spot-kick the other way from the direction of Vincent Enyeama’s leap.
Tunisia defeated Nigeria 5-3 on penalties, progressed to the final and won the trophy. The Eagles finished third in the competition.
2006 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Another late goal was the genesis of Nigeria’s absence from the 2006 World Cup for the first time since the country debuted.
During the qualifiers, the Eagles were grouped alongside Angola, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Algeria and Rwanda. The grouping was meant to function as a qualification process for the World Cup and the 2006 AFCON with only the group leader qualifying for the former.
When the qualifiers kicked off proper in June 2004, hopes were high as the Eagles defeated Rwanda 2-0 at Abuja’s newly built Moshood Abiola Stadium. A brace from Obafemi Martins gave Nigeria a comfortable start.
Up next was the second game against Angola in Luanda. Christian Chukwu, the Eagles head coach, named a somewhat weaker squad for the fixture amid claims that top players were boycotting games.
With Rabiu Baita, Muhammed Aliyu and Ifeanyi Ekwueme leading the attack, the Eagles were starved of creativity upfront, and the defence was quaking under the intense pressure from the energetic Angolan attack.
The pressure from the home team yielded a reward in the 84th minute after Gilberto pinched a mis-hit pass off the toes of Seyi Olofinjana and sent Zé Kalanga down the right wing.
A grounder fizzled into the path of Akwa (Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco) inside the Nigerian box, and the striker kept his calm despite the hassle from Joseph Yobo before smashing the ball into the roof of the net past the stunned limbs of Vincent Enyeama.
The goal was a dagger through the hearts of Nigerians as the Angolans held on for a precious 1-0 victory. Nigeria then failed to beat Angola in the return leg at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.
The late goal from the first leg proved costly for Nigeria as Angola progressed to the 2006 World Cup in Germany based on head-to-head advantage after both teams had tied with 21 points each.
2012 AFCON QUALIFIERS
Courtesy of another late goal, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 AFCON. It was the first time since 1998 that the country would miss the competition.
The Eagles were named in a group that included Guinea, Madagascar and Ethiopia. Only the group winner would get the automatic qualification ticket.
In the final game of the qualifiers, Nigeria faced Guinea in Abuja. The Guineans were on 13 points and atop the group, while Nigeria had 10 points in second place. The Eagles needed a convincing victory to leapfrog their opponents and win the group.
Ismaël Bangoura gave the Guineans the lead in the first half before Obinna Nsofor replied for Nigeria. Then, Ikechukwu Uche pulled Nigeria in front in the 86th minute, and the game looked done for the Eagles before Ibrahima Traore stole a crucial equaliser in the 90th minute of the match. The game ended 2-2, and Nigeria missed the 2012 AFCON.
2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS
After winning the 2013 AFCON, Nigeria missed the following editions — 2015 and 2017. The failure to qualify for the 2017 AFCON was also wreaked by a late goal conceded in front of home fans.
The Eagles were grouped with Egypt, Tanzania and Chad for the qualifiers. Chad withdrew from the competition due to financial difficulties.
Nigeria’s third game was against Egypt at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna. The stadium was dangerously packed to the rafters, and the fans were initially rewarded for their passion when Oghenekaro Etebo sent Nigeria into the lead early in the second half.
But Mohammed Salah equalised for Egypt in the 90th minute and denied Nigeria a vital victory. The Egyptians would eventually defeat Nigeria by a lone goal in the second leg, ending the country’s chance of qualifying for the 2017 AFCON.
2018 WORLD CUP FINAL GROUP GAME
Nigeria crashed out of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to another late goal.
The Eagles faced Argentina and Lionel Messi in the final group game. Nigeria had three points after defeating Iceland courtesy of a brace from Ahmed Musa. Argentina had just one. Nigeria needed only a draw to advance to the next round.
The Argentines raced to the lead in the 14th minute through Messi, but Nigeria pegged them back with a penalty taken by Victor Moses. The Eagles were holding on for the precious point they needed when Marcos Rojo delivered a heart-wrenching winner for Argentina in the 86th minute.
2019 AFCON SEMI-FINAL
Riyad Mahrez’s 95th-minute free kick halted Nigeria’s title charge in the semi-final of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt. The Super Eagles marched into the final four of the competition after defeating South Africa in the quarter-final. William Troost-Ekong scored an own goal against Nigeria before Odion Ighalo equalised in the 79th minute with a penalty.
But with the last kick of the game, Mahrez riffled a powerful free-kick beyond Daniel Akpeyi and sent Algeria into the final, and they eventually won the cup.
2023 AFCON FINAL
One of the recent late heartbreaks happened in Nigeria’s most important match in the last couple of years: the final of the 2023 AFCON held in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles qualified for the final after beating Cameroon, Angola and South Africa in the knockout stage. The team had also beaten Cote d’Ivoire earlier in the group stage.
The proceedings initially went according to plan and Nigeria took the lead in the 38th minute through a William Troost-Ekong header. But the Ivorians fought back, and Franck Kessie equalised before halftime.
Sebastien Haller would eventually complete the comeback for the hosts in the 81st minute.
