Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali has praised the Super Eagles for giving their all in the quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following Nigeria’s narrow defeat to DR Congo in the African playoff final.
The match ended 1-1 after extra time, but DR Congo prevailed 4-3 on penalties, knocking the Super Eagles out of contention.
Nwabali made two crucial saves during the shootout, yet missed penalties from Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon, and Semi Ajayi proved decisive.
Chancel Mbemba converted the winning penalty to send DR Congo to the intercontinental playoff stage.
After the match, Nwabali took to Instagram to express his empathy with fans, noting that as a former supporter of the Super Eagles, he understands “how it feels giving you a disappointing night.”
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He added that the team’s “best wasn’t enough” and the players “take full responsibility”.
“Painful! We all did our best for the badge, though our best wasn’t enough,” the post reads.
“I was once a fan and understand how it feels giving you a disappointing night, we take full responsibility.”
The Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, marking the first time since Nigeria’s World Cup debut in 1994 that the team has missed out on back-to-back tournaments.
Preparations for the 2026 playoffs were not without controversy.
The squad staged a boycott of one of their training sessions to protest unpaid allowances, refusing to train until their demands were met by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) 24 hours later.
