The Super Eagles of Nigeria have apparently received a boost in their desire to pull off an unlikely qualification to next year’s FIFA World Cup, as fellow Anglophone country, Zimbabwe have declared their determination to slow South Africa down by defeating them on Friday.
Sports247 reports that Zimbabwe will play their last ‘home’ game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bafana Bafana at a venue in South Africa, but The Warriors’ coach, Michael Nees says they want to win the fixture and end the qualification race on a gallant note.
Read Also: Jay-Jay Okocha, Victor Oshimen and Other Nigerian Footballers Who Prove Street Football Is Nigeria’s Real Academy
Although the Zimbabweans are last placed in the group and already out of contention for a ticket to USA/Canada/Mexico 2026, beating Bafana Bafana means they would ‘help’ Nigeria slow the South Africans down and allow the Super Eagles move just three points behind the table toppers.
However, Nees is not looking at it from the idea of ‘helping’ Nigeria qualify, as the Dutch tactician pointed out that it is simply a case of The Warriors aiming to bow out of the qualifiers on a high.
Nees declared, “We cannot be accused of not taking our games seriously. On the other hand, we also want to win, and we want to get a little bit of something out of these qualifiers.”
Nees went on to reveal that defeating South Africa on Friday would also be a huge boost to his team’s morale ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, where he says they will give everything they have in order to ruffle a feather or two.
“We want a positive mood towards the AFCON, and we want to show our impact in a different phase of the game. This is a World Cup qualifier, and we want to win it.
“We need more energy in passing, we need to block more balls upfront, we need to win more balls in the attacking half, and we need to apply space for our midfielders,” Nees noted.
