Zimbabwe head coach, Michael Nees, says his team deserved more from their 2026 World Cup qualifying clash against the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Afrosport reports.
The Warriors held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Tuesday.
Victor Osimhen gave Nigeria the lead in the 74th minute, but substitute Tawanda Chirewa salvaged a point for Zimbabwe deep into stoppage time.
Speaking after the game, Nees praised his side for not giving up after conceding the first goal, adding that their game plan was to keep the Super Eagles without a goal for a long period.
“Nigeria came into the game full of confidence after their win against Rwanda, and we knew that the longer the game went on, the slower they would become—and that is exactly what happened,” he said.
The German also said he believed that with more added time they could have found the winner as the Nigerian defence was already “physically exhausted”.
“We showed that we don’t give up, and I think with three more minutes, we would have come away with a win because, in defence, your team was physically exhausted.
“We showed that we can play football; we didn’t just park the bus. Nigeria started aggressively and wanted to end the game quickly, but it didn’t work out. We resisted and showed resilience.”
The result helped the Warriors of Zimbabwe to four points but they remain bottom of Group C.
