Tadious Manyepo in KIGALI, Rwanda
NIGERIA captain Alex Iwobi has praised Zimbabwe for the spirited show they threw in their 1-1 draw against his team in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Huye Stadium on Sunday.
Nigeria travelled to Rwanda on Friday, just a day after their 1-1 draw against Lesotho.
“We have to give credit to them,” said Iwobi.
“Of course, it was easy for them because they got the first goal and they just sat back to defend.
“Of course, they had tactics to change the tempo of the game in their favour and credit to them they are a good side but with the players we have we should have done much better.”
He added:
“The travel was a lot for us.
“Of course, it hasn’t been easy but as a player I can’t use that as an excuse given the level of quality in the team.
“The first half wasn’t good enough.
“The second was better so we have to see what we should do to improve but it’s just the beginning.
“We need to continue fighting.
“We are disappointed because we have quality in the team.
“Nigeria is a country of many quality players and we must have been able to score more points on the scoreboard and get more goals. But we have to push”.