“Not giants, but ants” – AFCON bronze medallist slams Super Eagles following Zimbabwe draw

Former Super Eagles midfielder, Friday Ekpo, has slammed the performance of the Nigerian players in their 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe that caused them to lose ground in their race for World Cup Qualification, Soccernet.ng reports.

Eric Chelle enjoyed a perfect debut on a cool evening out in Kigali, as he led the three-time AFCON Champions to a 2-0 win over Rwanda.

He met a different fate at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in front of the Nigerian fans, as the Super Eagles surrendered a late goal against Zimbabwe to drop two vital points.

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What Ekpo said

“African football has progressed significantly. Nigeria still views some of these countries as small, but we need to step up as well. We are struggling to win matches against these teams,” the 1992 AFCON bronze medallist said in an interview with Brila.

“We are no longer giants; we have become ants. We cannot hold onto the ball and just pass it sideways. If we do not defeat Bafana Bafana in South Africa, our World Cup qualifying dream is over,” the 55-year-old concluded.

The Super Eagles have the chance to right their wrongs in September when they resume their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier fixtures. Nigeria will play against Rwanda on the 3rd of September before travelling to South Africa to lock horns with Bafana Bafana on the 6th of September.