Ideye Backs Nwabali After Late Gabon Equaliser

Nigeria booked their place in the African final of the 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs on Thursday after beating Gabon 4-1 in extra time, but the match was not without late drama.

Akor Adams opened the scoring in the 78th minute after a defensive error, putting the Super Eagles on course for victory. Stanley Nwabali, making his 26th start for Nigeria, looked set to keep his eleventh clean sheet. But that hope ended in the 89th minute when Mario Lemina struck a shot that took a heavy deflection and wrong-footed the goalkeeper, dragging the match into extra time.

Nigeria quickly regained control. Chidera Ejuke restored the lead eight minutes into extra time, before Victor Osimhen scored twice to seal a dominant win for the three-time African champions.

Speaking on SuperSport after the match, 2013 Afcon winner Brown Ideye strongly defended the goalkeeper. He said “we cannot blame Nwabali”… adding that the deflection made the effort impossible to save and that no goalkeeper could have stopped it.

Nigeria will now face DR Congo in Sunday’s CAF World Cup playoff final in Rabat. The winner will move on to the inter-continental playoff in March.