The Super Eagles of Nigeria claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alive.
After a goalless first half, Nigeria picked up the pace and scored twice thanks to goals from William Troost-Ekong and Akor Adams. Hlompo Kalake scored a late equalizer for the Crocodiles to ensure a frenetic end to the game, but Nigeria hung on and managed to see out the win.
Lesotho 1-2 Nigeria: Adams equals Martins’ record as Super Eagles hang on to slim World Cup hopes #LESNGA pic.twitter.com/VhNaRx2k1p
— Soccernet.ng (@soccernet_ng) October 10, 2025
Soccernet.ng rates the performances of the players that did the business for the Super Eagles on the night.
Super Eagles Player Ratings
Stanley Nwabali 5.8/10: Nwabali did not have much to do. But the few times he was called into action, he fumbled.
He caused the goal that Lesotho scored and threw a clanger in they dying minutes of the game that almost made it 2-2. The Chippa United man has definitely seen better days in a Super Eagles shirt.
Benjamin Fredrick 6.8/10: Fredrick had another really good game for the Super Eagles. Despite being a center-back, he played from right back.
He offered more threat in attack and looked more solid than even Bruno Onyemaechi, who was on the left side of the defence.
William Troost-Ekong 6.9/10: Troost-Ekong scored the opening goal for Nigeria in the second half. He was decent, but there were occasions when he looked really shaky when he had the ball or he had to defend against a Lesotho player.
Calvin Bassey 6.5/10: The Fulham man had a good outing for Nigeria. He was rock solid and looked really sharp.
Bruno Onyemaechi 6/10: Onyemaechi was also decent. It was sure that he wouldn't have have a lot of defending to do. But he did not impress much in the final third.
Wilfred Ndidi 6.8/10: Ndidi had a lot of work to do on the night since Eric Chelle used a two-man midfield, but he actually put in the work rate. However, there were still a few times when his decision-making and passes could have been better. Still, it was a very good performance from him.
Alex Iwobi 6.8/10: Just like Ndidi, he put in a strong shift in the middle of the park. He struggled a bit in the first half, but he got into the groove in the second half. He was swallowed by the game in the dying embers, but it was decent performance overall.
Moses Simon 6.4/10: Simon created the biggest chance of the first half for Nigeria. It was a cross, which Tolu Arokodare could not profit from. But he looked lively in patches, albeit he missed a big chance in the second half.
Tolu Arokodare 6.3/10: It was an average outing for the Wolves man.
He didn't have any chemistry with Osimhen up front, and his link with the midfield was disappointing at times. It was just an off day for him.
Victor Osimhen 7/10: Anytime the Galatasaray man plays he always shows his hunger and desire.
He looked really lively and was full of running. Unfortunately for him, he could not score. However, his nice assist for Akor Adams' goal was really nice.
Akor Adams 7/10: Not too many players score on their Super Eagles debut, so Adams will be proud of his achievement. He looked very sharp, and his decision-making was great. He probably would have earned an assist if Simoj didn't take too much time to take a shot in the second half.
Samuel Chukwueze 6.5/10: Chukwueze had a big influence on the game when he was subbed in. He looked more willing to take on the Lesotho players and looked really dangerous in the final third. His introduction was a great decision by Chelle, but maybe it should have been sooner.
