₦airaland Forum

semid4lyfe:
He walked off the pitch at half time with some discomfort. See below

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSH3acW9YmJSG-iy8Aj/

Edit: Just learnt it was a hamstring injury that forced his substitution..

Ragingthunder:
NOTHING HAPPENED

He walked off the pitch at half time with some discomfort. See below

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSH3acW9YmJSG-iy8Aj/

9JAMac10:
let him gain the experience of coaching a national team at a major tournament. Nigeria can start properly rebuilding after the Afcon with a better qualified preferably Nigerian coach for 2030 and subsequent Afcon

No Nigerian coach should come near the Super Eagles now or in the foreseeable future.

9

TheSuperNerd:
They dont get it. When we insist on 433, we also emphasize personnel tactical balance.

In a midfield 2, play your Ndidi and Iwobi. Or pair Onyeka and Iwobi.

But in a midfield 3, be careful, you must absolutely have a genuine 1st phase ball receiver and 2nd phase ball distributor. Onyeka and Ndidi are not such.

Personnel selection is so important. Not just picking 3 midfielders coz they are available and throwing them in together hoping for magic. If there is no balance technically and tactically, it wont hold eventually.

I don't think that's even the solution. Chelle could have started your preferred personnel, adopted your tactics, and we would have still lost today.

Its like teams coming up against prime barca of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Busquet, Eto and co of those days. E no matter who you select or the formation, you'll lose the midfield and possession battle. Yes, DR Congo is that well drilled . We could only play defensively, and we did that quite well

Also, our game plan collapsed completely when Osimhen left the game because that gave them the impetus to attack us, and pile pressure on our midfield.

Somehow, I knew the game would turn out like this and its the reason I refrained from posting in the lead up to the match and predicting a victory unlike most regulars here.

Its painful but we can only look forward towards the AFCON and hope we do win it.

World cup chapter closed, we look forward to AFCON.

We still do not know what happened to Osimhen.

Our penalty kickers let us down

Bassey
Simon
Ajayi.

What were they thinking?

QueenJazz:
To think that we almost won that shootout.

I hate losing when we've already come far. Finish me off from the very start. Don't give me hope. 🤦🏾‍♀️

When Semi Ajayi stepped up, I knew he was not gonna score the penalty.

Ndidi
Onyeka
Awaziem

These are guys that should have stepped to take penalties before Semi Ajayi.

TheSuperNerd:
WE HAVE MIDFIELDERS BUT CHELLE IGNORES THEM.

AKINSANMIRO. UCHE, he doesnt know how to utilise.

Onyedika, he doesnt know how to utilise.

Again, I will say it... I laughed so hard when folks here were praising Chelle for saying he monitors over 500+ players overall or 80+ players weekly. That is cap! Complete cap! You dont monitor that much and not come up with tactical realisations on certain talents monitored.

Premium crap.

Where are even the 80 Nigerian players playing abroad?

8

TheSuperNerd:
WE HAVE MIDFIELDERS BUT CHELLE IGNORES THEM.

AKINSANMIRO. UCHE, he doesnt know how to utilise.

Onyedika, he doesnt know how to utilise.

Again, I will say it... I laughed so hard when folks here were praising Chelle for saying he monitors over 500+ players overall or 80+ players weekly. That is cap! Complete cap! You dont monitor that much and not come up with tactical realisations on certain talents monitored.

Premium crap.

Where are even the 80 Nigerian players playing abroad?

Did we practise penalties at all? Poor Poor penalties

Baba God, abeg help us

mostob:
What happened in the dressing room. The Osimhen I know would patch and wrap up himself up even if he get knock. Such is his passion.

Why is he not on the touchline as usual?

You have a point. Osimhen wasn't injured at the end of the first half.

May be, he had a burst up with coach, and he decided to show him he's the boss.

Na prayer mode I dey now. Baba God abeg

BankyGee:
God bless you. For the first time in months, I went to the frontpage, saw the thread for today's game, some comments wey I dey see, I just run comot.

You for no bother. I stopped visiting match day threads years ago. Na here I dey follow our matches.

BlueRayDick:
Semid4lyfe we don see una hand again o. The folding of quoted post with a downward pointing arrow na another new feature wey una just add to the site I guess.

E good abi e no good?

We played well. Best first 45 minutes we played all through the WCQ. Unfortunate not to be two goals up.

45 more minutes to go. I'm optimistic we'll score and win

oloriooko:
sourceless post
everyone waiting for list like say their input is needed
let the coach do as he deems best patapata we lose and come home to prep for another time

Source is the Super Eagles verified X handle. So its genuine.

Again. midfield is too lean with only 5 midfielders - Ndidi, Iwobi, Onyeka, Onyedika, Alhassan. 7 midfielders is the ideal number.

Maybe Akinsanmiro was initially on the list and the injury last night necessitated his removal but still, he ought to have been replaced by another midfielder. Chrisantus Uche, Anthony Dennis of Goztepe and David Moses of Slavia Prague are the obvious choices.

8 forwards is excessive. At least one of the spots should have gone to the midfield.

Happy with the inclusion of Chidera Ejuke. He gives us options as he can play on the right or as in inverted winger on the left.

Olakunle Olusegun has done nothing both at clubside and the National team to warrant being in the squad. The fact his name is always last in the squad list when it is released speaks volume. His spot should have gone to a midfielder.

All in all, it's not a bad list but it could have been much better and balanced with more midfield options cause that's the engine room of a team, and where play is dictated, and battles are won and lost in matches.

Truidstarr:
He is most likely going to miss this playoffs due to a shoulder injury.

On the verge of your first call-up and you get injured. Nothing can be more "village people" than this.

lexyman:
How does it matter ? SA qualified already ... how on earth will the officiating be wrong ...this is a World cup qualifier ,and it's FIFA that governs it , any officiating error , will only put him in a bad light and may affect his licence to officiate at a bigger stage .

The South African Sports Minister openly stated that he does not want Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup.

“I wish for #Nigeria not to qualify…”

This is what @GaytonMcK, South Africa’s Sports Minister, said, regarding the @NGSuperEagles #FIFAWorldCup campaign... pic.twitter.com/Ar3QbHCyjq

— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) November 6, 2025

With that kind of bias coming from such a high-ranking official, it’s only natural for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Nigerian fans to be concerned so the decision to question and reject the appointment of South African referees for our World Cup Qualifier playoff against Gabon is completely justified.

No one expects fair officiating from a country whose top sports official has already shown open hostility toward Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup. The NFF is right to demand neutral referees to protect the integrity of the match and avoid unnecessary controversy.

Mujtahida:
Another thing is for him to be careful against cynical challenges on match day proper because Gabon might just plan to take him out with a rough tackle.


God abeg ooo keep Osimhen oo

You just reminded me of how that Rwanda defender offed him in our WCQ match in Uyo 😔

Even in training, players get injured.
In fact, its not impossible for his clubmate and Gabonese player, Mario Lemina to off him during club training to prevent him from playing the Gabon game.

Hurdles still plenty for Osimhen to cross before turning out for us on the 13th. Nothing wey person fit do but to be prayerful and hopeful.

God abeg o.

What I'm most happy about is that Osimhen ended the match without injury.

Still, my anxiety remains because he still has to play this weekend before hitting camp for our WCQ playoff against Gabon.

Lets continue to keep him and our other players in our prayers.

Abeg, when squad list go commot? Other countries don dey release their list o.

DR Congo mean business. Three former Belgium youth players don switch to play for them in the WCQ playoffs. On paper, DR Congo has a better squad than Cameroun and I tip them and Nigeria for the final.

See their full squad for the playoffs

Goalkeepers: Matthieu Epolo (Standard Liege, Belgium), Timothy Fayulu (Noah, Armenia), Lionel Mpasi (Le Havre, France)

Defenders: Rocky Bushiri (Hibernian, Scotland), Gédéon Kalulu (Aris Limassol, Cyprus), Steve Kapuadi (Legia Warsaw, Poland), Joris Kayembe (Racing Genk, Belgium), Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland, England), Chancel Mbemba (Olympique de Marseille, France), Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley, England), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham United, England)

Midfielders: Theo Bongonda (Spartak Moscow, Russia), Michel-Ange Balikwisha (Glasgow Celtic, Scotland), Edo Kayembe (Watford, England), Nathanael Mbuku (Montpellier, France), Samuel Moutoussamy (Atromitos, Greece), Ngal'ayel Mukau (Lille, France), Charles Pickel (Espanyol, Spain), Noah Sadiki (Sunderland, England), Mario Stroeykens (Anderlecht, Belgium)

Forwards: Cedric Bakambu (Real Betis, Spain), Samuel Essende (Augsburg, Germany), Brian Cipenga (Castellón, Spain), Meshack Elia (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Fiston Mayele (Pyramids, Egypt).

TemporaryHansel:
Tagging Nigeria a 'disgraced country' is very shameful and embarrassing.

Peter Obi and Atiku are sleeping. @izzou

Shey e worse pass tagging Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt country?

MetalJigsaw:
Ekong get pace? And trickery? I no understand o

The sarcasm flew over your head

Asisat is past her best. Any coach starting Asisat Oshaola in 2025 is not desirous of doing well..

Subzerooo:
Na only Osimhen I dey put, nothing concern me with the others

No worry ,Osimhen go play goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack by himself.

You get brain die.

Jieta2:
November 8 and the world cup play-off is on the 13th how will the players cope?

It's the FIFA international break calendar which is from 10th November to 18th November this month. Players are used to the tight schedule of the calendar already.

I just hope our players will approach the playoffs with all seriousness and hit camp early so that they can train together adequately before playing Gabon.

KingTom:
Lt. Gen with 10 years to retirement? Lt. Gen is the pinnacle of an officers military career the rank of 3 star General by the time you attain it you'll be in your 50s with 5 or 6 years max to retirement and usually that rank is held by the COAS, a position one can get relieved from after 2 years. You're right about it being unfair anyway but it's fairer in this civilian admin than it was in the Military regimes, Asides Abacha who ascended to the top like the crafty devil Olatunbosun the rest were hurriedly promoted like Gowon and especially Yaradua that one pain many senior men for Army

I just cited Lieutenant General as an example but my point is really about seniority and having adequate years to go before retirement but being prematurely axed because a junior was appointed as a service chief and the unfairness of it. Shey you get?

In the university system, people dey hit professorship at 40 years, though rare. But professors at 45+ years dey quite common. Promotion is every three years subject to meeting the promotion criteria.

How many ranks dey army for a commissioned officer? And whats the promotion requirement and interval that one cannot reach Lieutenant General with 10 years to spare before retirement.

I ask for educational purposes.

BlueRayDick:
That's why most of the senior officers made GOC's, Director of military finance, commander in charge of army property, Theatre commanders, etc always end up being corrupt.

They divert as much funds as they can stash away for their possible early retirement. Remember one time a particular senior officer diverted huge sums of money only for the orderlies working for him to steal same money from him. I think he was court martialled eventually.

The military is the only organization where such happens.

In the university system, the requirement to aspire to be VC is to have been a professor for at least 10 years.

This is not always strictly followed because there have been cases of some politically connected professors who do not meet that requirement and were appointed over other senior professors, but at least the senior profs are not retired prematurely and get to stay on till they clock the retirement age. They can even vie to be VC later on..........like our current VC who became VC at his second attempt.

I know the Military operates an order-based system, and it'd be difficult for a senior officer to take orders from a junior but the practice still dey one kind.

I wonder if this Nigerian military practice of premature retirement obtains in advanced climes.

I'm wondering though.

With the military culture of premature retirement of senior officers when their juniors are picked as service chiefs, is it still worth it to build a career in the military?

I mean, you go enter NDA early, attend courses and trainings, dey build your career jejely, meritoriously get promoted to Lieutenant General with 10 more years to go before retirement, then a new president is elected, and he picks your junior a Brigadier General, as Chief of Army Staff so you have to be compulsorily retired.

Doesn't that de-incentivize joining the military?

Two more weekends of club football, this weekend and November 8.

Remember to put our players in your prayers for them to avoid injuries.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSy2GJdEv/

Just saw the own goal Ekong scored against his club, and it's exactly the same as the own goal he scored in the SA game.

🔸No pressure situation
🔸Ball would have been better cleared with his left leg but used his right, and miss-kicked it into his goal.

Lots of right-footed players are ambipedal to some extent, and use their left feet quite well but Ekong is terribly poor with his left foot for a professional footballer.

If the ball falls to his left foot in front of his goal. the chances he'll score an own goal is 50-50.

This own goal thing has bedevilled his career for the longest time, and I'm surprised he hasn't outgrown it, and at this point believe he never will.

I pray and hope Eric Chelle doesn't make the mistake of featuring him in our playoff games.