The Super Eagles of Nigeria moved another step closer to the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will take place in USA, Canada and Mexico after defeating the national team of Gabon in Morocco on Thursday to progress to the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff.
Its now time for the team to look ahead to the next fixture they need to play en route to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
And as we know it, the next game cannot be previewed without a review of what went down on the last game of the super Eagles.
Brief review of Nigeria vs Gabon
This game clearly displayed the class difference between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the national team of Gabon. The eagles had an upper hand in the game from start to finish.
But they left it late, the team needed the extra time before bringing in a better performance. But can they have such luxury of time against Gongo DR or Cameroon?
Judging from pedigree, it is almost assured that Cameroon or Gongo DR will give the super Eagles of Nigeria a tougher game when they face off in the finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff.
What should Coach Eric Chelle do?
Some players actually performed very poorly against the Gabon national team and they should not make it to the starting lineup of the super Eagles of Nigeria when they play their next 2026 world Cup Qualifiers African Playoff.
1. Stanley Nwabali:
Once again, the goalkeeping concerns of the Super Eagles team is on the horizon after the last three games of Stanley Nwabali. He clearly failed to do enough to stop Lemina’s equalizer during Thursday’s win.
The heart of Nigerian fans is always in their hands anytime Stanley has the ball in his feet or hands. He is never too far from school boy errors.
Asides some unprofessional display like holding unto the ball for long while the team is still searching for the first goal, he looks so inexperienced and against Cameroon or Gongo DR it might hunt the team.
2. Samuel Chukwueze.
For someone who has not been very active for his club, being thrown into the starting lineup for a competitive game like the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff was certainly not a good idea.
The former Villarreal FC winger was easily neutralized by the defenders, this kept the team at bay throughout the first half of the match against Gabon.
Chidera Ejuke was clearly more productive down the wings and should be the one to start in that position when the super Eagles of Nigeria play their next 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff against Cameroon or Gongo DR.
3. Moses Simon:
Started from the bench during the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff match against Gabon but did nothing impressive when he was brought up to replace Ademola Lookman.
The Paris FC was a no upgrade of Ademola Lookman but was rather a downgrade. He was not dangerous in anyway but was rather giving away possession in provocative manners.
It was seen clearly why the Coach didn’t attempt starting him on the left flank ahead of Ademola Lookman, thus there’ll be no need taking off Ademola Lookman early in the next game for him.
Which other player do you think should not make the starting lineup of the super Eagles for the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Playoff?
Also, which of these players do you think deserves a place in the starting lineup of the super Eagles for their next game? Share your thoughts on the comment section, thanks.