October 09, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team on Sunday arrived in Douala, Cameroon, for their Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying game against their counterparts from the Central African Republic (CAR).
As THEWILL reported, the Super Eagles lost 1-0 to the CAR’s Wild Beasts on Thursday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos state.
For large portions of the match, the 34th-ranked Super Eagles dominated their lowly-ranked opponents. Despite this, they witnessed Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, and Nantes’ Moses Simon all lose chances to score.
Karl Namnganda punished the hosts for their profligacy when he scored a 90th-minute winner to give the 124th-ranked squad their first win of the series.
The return leg was previously scheduled to take place at the Stade Barthélemy Boganda in Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital. But, after determining that none of their football pitches were suitable for international matches, CAF barred the CAR from holding any World Cup qualifier on home soil.
The game will now take place at the Japoma Stadium in Douala, Cameroon.
On Saturday morning, a Nigerian delegation of players and officials flew from Lagos to Douala for the match.
After that humiliating loss on home turf, Nigeria remain in first place in Group C with six points but will now need a win on Sunday to solidify their lead. However, if the CAR earns another three points in Cameroon, they will move to the top of the table.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
