Gabon coach Thierry Mouyouma laments costly errors as Nigeria crush World Cup dreams
Gabon head coach Thierry Mouyouma expressed deep frustration after his team’s 4–1 extra-time defeat to Nigeria ended their 2026 World Cup hopes in Rabat.
Despite Mario Lemina’s 89th-minute equaliser forcing extra time, the Panthers could not match the Super Eagles’ intensity, conceding three goals in the added period.
The loss left the Gabonese camp devastated, with senior players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mario Lemina, and Bruno Ecuele-Manga seeing what may have been their last chance to feature at a World Cup vanish.
The defeat exposed defensive lapses and costly individual mistakes, undermining Gabon’s spirited comeback in regulation time.
Mouyouma acknowledged Nigeria’s dominance in the first half but insisted the second half belonged to Gabon.
“We thought that goal would give us a slight psychological edge over the Nigerians. In the first half, we have to acknowledge our opponents’ dominance, but I think the second half was in our favour, even though we conceded a goal during our best spell. But in extra time, we made more costly individual errors. And we gradually fell apart,” he told Afrik Foot.
The coach also criticised the refereeing after a controversial VAR review in the second half. Bright Osayi-Samuel appeared to pull Aaron Appidangoyé’s shirt inside the penalty area, yet the referee declined to award a penalty despite a six-minute review.
“Of course! It was a penalty for us. I don’t understand how the referee, after spending six minutes reviewing the footage, didn’t call the foul by the Nigerian player. You can clearly see him pulling our player’s shirt! It’s incomprehensible. VAR is supposed to solve problems, but I also feel it can create them,” Mouyouma said.
With World Cup qualification denied, Gabon’s players will return to their clubs while the national team begins preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Drawn into a challenging group with Cameroon, Mozambique, and defending champions Ivory Coast, the Panthers aim to recover quickly from playoff heartbreak.
Mouyouma hopes the disappointment fuels a strong AFCON campaign and that lessons from the playoff defeat will strengthen the squad ahead of the continental tournament starting in December.
