Tolu Arokodare strikes to save Eagles blushes against Amavubi

Super Eagles risk missing consecutive World Cups, needing wins over Rwanda & South Africa plus a FIFA ruling to revive slim qualification hopes.

Tolu Arokodare, the scorer of Nigeria's only goal against Rwanda is set to start against South Africa if Victor Osimhen is unavailable. (Photo credit: GOAL)

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are in danger of missing out on the FIFA World Cup in Canada, the USA and Mexico next year as they face major fixtures this weekend.

It is not even in the hands of the Nigerian side anymore, and it would take a miracle of epic proportion for the Super Eagles of Nigeria to qualify after a horrendous qualifying campaign, characterised by lots of managerial uncertainties and unrest in the camp.

Nigeria currently sits fourth on the log in Group C, six points behind South Africa, who just needs to beat Nigeria in their game on Tuesday or, at least, hold the Super Eagles to a draw and then win their other games to fend off everyone else in the group.

There’s still a slim chance that Nigeria can qualify through the group considering how dramatic South Africa can be, but the Super Eagles will have to be at their best, not only to win against Rwanda but also to beat the Bafana-Bafana on Tuesday.

South Africa was alleged to have fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in one of their qualifiers, and FIFA is waiting to decide on that; the Super Eagles could earn some reprieve if Lesotho is handed the points. However, Coach Eric Chelle’s side cannot afford to drop points in any of their four games.

How is Nigeria preparing for this fixture? The likes of Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi have all spoken to the press about their readiness to take the battle to South Africa in Bloemfontein, which makes you wonder if they’re not paying attention to the Amavubi, who visit Nigeria on Saturday.

After the embarrassment of the CHAN event, where the home-based Eagles were demolished by Sudan in the group stage, Eric Chelle has come out to say the real test of his abilities will be in the result of the senior side, and this weekend should give a clearer picture.

The Super Eagles missed out on the World Cup in Qatar after the away goals rule against Ghana in 2022; they’re now in danger of missing out on back-to-back World Cups for the first time since their inception in the tournament in 1994.