Super Eagles coach Finidi George insists the team will not give up yet in their pursuit of a 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket despite their wobbling campaign, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
After drawing their first three matches of the series, which included two home matches, there was more misery for the Eagles on Monday after losing 2-1 to neighbouring Benin Republic in Abidjan.
Led by former Nigeria coach Genort Rohr, the Cheetahs responded perfectly to Raphael Onyedika’s opener for the Eagles, scoring two goals courtesy of Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie before halftime for a famous win over Nigeria to go top of Group C.
The defeat leaves Finidi’s men languishing in fifth place in the tricky group with three points while Lesotho, Rwanda, bitter rivals South Africa and even bottom-placed Zimbabwe can take advantage in their respective clashes on Tuesday (today).
Yet to win in two competitive games in charge, Finidi remains optimistic that the Eagles will bounce back.
“There is no special formula for winning, we have to see how we can get the best out of the players,” the coach said after the defeat.
Finidi was appointed as the substantive coach of the Super Eagles in April.
The Eagles will be back in action for two more games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by March 2025 when they visit Rwanda on March 17 and host Zimbabwe on March 25.
Ahead of their last matches in this window, Benin lead the group with six points, followed by Lesotho with five while Rwanda and South Africa are third and fourth respectively with four points each.
“Everybody must be committed and with that commitment, I believe we will win games and if we can win games, the battle will still be there. We can’t throw in the towel because we have only three points, we have to find a way to get these players back in a way they can perform.”