Blame Ekong - Nigerians pour spit on Super Eagles captain for World Cup failure to South Africa

The Super Eagles of Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw away against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a matchday eight 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

The Super Eagles came into the game following a 1-0 win against Rwanda while South Africa consolidated their place at the top of the group with a comfortable win against Lesotho.

South Africa would strike first in the 25th minute as Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong diverting a cross in his own net.

Nigeria began to pile on pressure and were able to get an equalizer as Fulham defender Calvin Bassey was on the end of a cross.

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In the second half, Eric Chelle rang the changes as the Super Eagles pushed for a goal.

South Africa will hold on for a point to make the Super Eagles path to the world cup more difficult.

After the game, Nigerians took to social media to give their thoughts on the performance of the team.

Most Nigerians already stated that the team do not deserve to qualify following the previous game against the Amavubi of Rwanda.

After another disappointing result, Nigerians put the blame of not qualifying for the world cup on captain Ekong.

The remarks about Ekong were about his own goal that put the team under pressure early in the game.

Some fans stated he should not have been included in the team and even referenced a possible error in the 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe.

The general consensus from most fans were that Ekong should not be part of the team going forward and that the hopes for qualification are all both over.

See reactions below