2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria could not complete even SIX PASSES against South Africa – Yakubu Aiyegbeni criticizes Super Eagles display

Nigeria legend Yakubu Aiyegbeni has criticised the performance of the Super Eagles against South Africa in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Super Eagles rallied from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against the Bafana Bafana in the Matchday 8 games of the qualifiers earlier this month.

Bafana benefitted from an own goal by the Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong, while Nigeria equalised through a controversial goal by defender Calvin Bassey.

However, Aiyegbeni urged fans and the Nigerian Football Federation not to blame Troost-Ekong for the result.

The former attacking midfielder insisted that Hugo Broos’ side was the better side on the day, particularly in terms of ball movement and possession.

“We’re talking about me missing a goal, now everyone is talking about the captain, Ekong,” Aiyegbeni said as quoted by Complete Sports.

“He scored an own goal, so what? He didn’t mean to score that own goal. It happens. We Nigerians, we have to understand.

“We are always waiting to put blame on one or two players. Oh, it’s because of this guy we did not qualify for the World Cup. But that’s not the case.

“This boy, Ekong, is a leader in that team. He made mistakes, yes. South Africa passed the ball better than us. We cannot even put six or seven passes together. When we try to play, we just end up kicking it long,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nigeria will wrap up their qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin next month.