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Hours after raising the hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America, the Nigeria Super Eagles’ Coach, Eric Chelle, has come out to say the team had been under “a lot of pressure” even before the Friday game.

The players had defeated Lesotho 2-1, having fielded a strong side with the return of the Galatasaray forward, Victor Osimhen, and Saudi Pro League, Al-Kholood defender, William Troost-Ekong.

In a post-match conference, Chelle expressed excitement that the team had won the game against Lesotho.

He, however, said that the pressure to put up the best performances had been on the team since March.

“Today we are happy because we won. We are still alive. I am happy for my players and I want to congratulate them. Perhaps we have felt the pressure since March. Every time my players, whenever we meet, they tell me they feel the pressure, because for Nigeria, we need to travel and we need to go to the World Cup.

“There is a lot of pressure, and this is the reality.

“So now, maybe they will take some hours of cool after this win, and I’m happy for that. Playing in this game is not the same as regular football.

“In the first half, because we were under pressure, technically, sometimes we miss some things, and it is difficult to come on the pitch, because there is a lot of tension, but I am so proud of my guys, and I told them.”

READ ALSO: Super Eagles Boost World Cup Hopes With Slim Win Over Lesotho

While corroborating Chelle’s stance, William Troost-Ekong said the match against Lesotho was a tough one.

“I also want to start by saying that Lesotho played a great game, and we knew that from the start. I can understand the disappointment and frustration because they put up a very good fight. These kinds of games are never easy, and the Coach said that already. The pressure has been on us since March at the start of the Qualifiers,” he said.

He, however, said the team was looking forward to a great outing come 2026.

Nigeria Super Eagles on Thursday kept its dream of qualification for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the North American continent alive by defeating Lesotho 2-1.

Eric Chelle fielded a strong side with the return of the Galatasaray forward, Victor Osimhen and Saudi Pro League, Al-Kholood defender, William Troost-Ekong.

Moses Simon set the pace for the Eagles in the 6th minute as he tried to weave inside from the right wing, but the Crocodiles were strong in defence.

Despite a dominant ball possession, Nigeria were sloppy in passing the ball as Lesotho’s back five prevented the opposition forwards from accessing enough space to operate in.

READ ALSO: FIFA Sanction South Africa For Fielding Ineligible Player In World Cup Qualifier

Osimhen came close in the 38th minute in putting Nigeria ahead as he beat his marker to get on the end of a cross from the right wing before powering a chance at goal, only for Sekhoane to keep out the effort.

Despite the Super Eagles’ onslaught, the Lesotho defence repelled all attacks to end the first half goalless

The second half resumed with Nigeria dominating possession and were duly rewarded in the 53rd minute when Motlomelo Mkwanazi was adjudged to have handled the ball, after he blocked a shot from Moses Simon.

Ekong stepped up to take the penalty kick, guiding it to the bottom right-hand corner.

Nigeria’s relentless pressure paid off as Osimhen, in the 80th minute, fed the ball to the right side of the penalty area to Akor Adamson, who took a touch and then drilled his effort past Sekhoane to double the lead.

On Friday, the spotlight will be on the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa, where the Super Eagles will face off against Lesotho’s Crocodiles.

This crucial encounter represents Nigeria’s final opportunity to keep their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive.

After a 1-1 draw with South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on September 1, the Super Eagles seemed destined to miss back-to-back World Cup tournaments.

But their fortunes took a turn when South Africa lost points for using an ineligible player, tightening the competition at the top of Group C.

This decision put Nigeria just three points behind both Benin and South Africa with two matches left, reigniting their chances of qualifying.

READ ALSO: FIFA Sanction South Africa For Fielding Ineligible Player In World Cup Qualifier

Crucial game

Nigeria must avoid defeat in both of their remaining matches, beginning with Friday’s clash against Lesotho.

Additionally, they will be relying on South Africa to falter in their upcoming games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

With multiple teams still in contention to lead the group, securing a victory in Polokwane is crucial for the Super Eagles to stay in the hunt.

Lesotho managed a 1-1 draw against Nigeria in their earlier meeting at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on November 16, 2023, and will aim to pull off another surprise in Polokwane.

Since 2019, the two teams have faced each other three times, with Nigeria winning twice and one match ending in a draw.

At the moment, Benin lead Group C with 14 points and a goal difference of +4, closely followed by South Africa, who also have 14 points but a +2 goal difference.

Nigeria occupy third place with 11 points and a +2 goal difference, while Rwanda trail just behind with 11 points and a goal difference of zero.

The Super Eagles’ journey in the World Cup qualifiers has been inconsistent so far, with two victories, five draws, and one loss. In comparison, Lesotho have secured two wins, three draws, and suffered three defeats.

Matchday nine kicks off on Friday, October 10, at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, with the game starting at 6:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. in Nigeria).

UEFA on Thursday denied ongoing talks with Super League promoter A22 Sports Management, but it admitted it had met the body after the promoter told AFP it was “negotiating” with UEFA to create a new Champions League format.

“What A22 and the Super League clubs have done is to propose an agreement to UEFA that essentially consists of providing a free broadcasting platform and making very slight changes to the current competition format,” said an A22 spokesperson.

In this version, a far cry from the initial semi-closed competition project that nearly tore apart European football in 2021, the 36 teams currently qualified for the Champions League would be divided into two groups of 18 clubs, with the highest-ranked teams then competing in the round of 32.

READ ALSO: UEFA Champions League Results — Collated

UEFA acknowledged several “public meetings” between its general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, and A22 co-founder Anas Laghrari but said they “produced no official results.”

“There are no plans to change the UEFA Champions League format,” UEFA said, having introduced a new format which came into effect from the 2024-25 season.

The developments come after Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who has long been at the forefront of the Super League project, expressed his desire for “an agreement with UEFA” to “pacify” European football.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi, the chair of the rebranded European Football Clubs (EFC, formerly European Club Association), welcomed Laporta’s shift at the EFC meeting in Rome.

For Al-Khelaifi, Barca’s rapprochement with the EFC and UEFA does not mean the end of the Super League project, because “it was already dead before”.

“We don’t need other competitions; we already have the best competitions,” the Qatari added.