Ex-international midfielder, Friday Ekpo has raised alarm over the new threat that Lesotho will pose against Nigeria’s aspiration for a ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup, as The Crocodiles now stand only two points behind the Super Eagles on the group’s current table.
Sports247 noted that FIFA’s recent award of three points to Lesotho took The Crocodiles’ haul up to nine, which means they would leap over Nigeria into third place on the log should they defeat the Super Eagles this Friday in their penultimate fixture.
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Ekpo took a closer look at the dramatic scenario playing out in the group and stressed that the Super Eagles need to go out full blast to snatch victory away to Lesotho on Friday and then defeat Benin Republic in Uyo the following Tuesday.
The former Calabar Rovers and Mogas 50 FC of Gabon dazzler warned, “My concern now is not about Benin Republic or South Africa … it’s now Lesotho. They’ve been given three points to their previous six, which now gives them nine.
“So, they’ll be thinking, if they defeat Nigeria in their home game, they will climb over us and then struggle for the group’s second spot.”
Ekpo went further to raise stiff permutations that tend to rule the Super Eagles out of a potential last ditch ticket to the 2026 Mundial, as he noted that South Africa and Benin Republic both look very threatening, heading into the group’s climax on October 14th.
He further pointed out, “South Africa will play at home against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, who are already out of the race. Now that they’ve lost three points, they’ll want to recover them.
“So, they’ll be at their very best, and they will be at home. So, the situation is still critical. Even if Nigeria wins back-to-back games, we can’t be sure of qualifying.”
He concluded by inferring that the odds in Group C ultimately favour South Africa, who will be at home against the group’s last two placed teams, while Nigeria will have to overcome Lesotho and Benin Republic, who are both very much still in contention for either top spot or a play-off slot.
“If we get six points, the final table might favour us with 17 points. But, at the same time, let’s think about South Africa, who now have 14 points, despite the deduction of three.
“They are still confident of qualifying. They will not be calculating any minus, because all they know is that they just have to win their last two games to qualify,” Ekpo expatiated.
