Super Eagles winger Moses Simon has vowed that the team will return stronger after their disappointing draws against 153rd-ranked Lesotho and 125th-ranked Zimbabwe in the opening games of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
On paper, Nigeria were expected to secure all six points and lead their World Cup qualifying group. However, the team struggled, falling behind in both games before salvaging draws despite featuring some of Africa’s most prolific strikers.
The underwhelming performances resulted in calls from fans for the dismissal of the team’s head coach, Jose Peseiro, whose contract was recently renewed, and the benching of goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, who was perceived to have made errors in goal.
Moses Simon, who captained the team in the absence of Ahmed Musa, has apologised to Nigerians for their disappointing results and has promised that the team will bounce back stronger.
“Big apologies to our fans. You deserve better than the performance against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Not the result we wanted, but we will surely bounce back. We have overcome so many challenges in the past. And now is the time to reflect and come back stronger.” Simon was quoted by Nigerian journalist Adepoju Tobi Samuel on X formerly Twitter.
Nigeria currently sits third in the group with two points from two games, while Rwanda tops the group with four points from two games, and South Africa is second with three points from two games.
The Super Eagles’ next World Cup qualifying matches are against South Africa and Benin in June 2024
