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Tadious Manyepo in Uyo, Nigeria
Nigeria 1-1 Zimbabwe
The Warriors can no longer be bullied.
Not in this day and age.
They are no longer the easy-to-beat sort.

Yes, they are virtually out of the reckoning for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
But even if they are unlikely to be in the United States, Mexico and Canada, they showed the world that they have heart after this draw at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, last night.

The manner in which they fought back to strike the hearts of the more than 30 000 spectators who packed the venue, after falling behind with just 16 minutes still to play, was not only heroic but also a telling sign of a force in the making.

Substitute, Tawanda Chirewa stepped up to tap in the equaliser, right on the stroke of full-time.
By that point, Nigeria’s scorer Victor Osimhen had been substituted for Victor Boniface, and the Nigerian supporters were eagerly awaiting to hoist him high as a saviour of a country whose qualification fate is no longer in their hands.

It was a match Zimbabwe had been tipped for a massacre.
They were never given a chance, with bookmakers placing their odds of winning at 1/35 and 1/17 for a draw.
But this is no longer a mickey-mouse team of amateurs.

They now boast top talent, with players spread across the top leagues worldwide.
It could have been a win for the Warriors, with a bit of luck, perhaps.
But still, the point, though not significant enough to brighten their qualification prospects, was as important as they come.

That is probably the biggest point they have earned in a campaign, where they have drawn four games, including the reverse fixture against Nigeria in November 2023.

The Warriors needed to be tactical, of course, coming up against a team with such attacking talent like Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, and Ademola Lookman.
The trio, aided by their 12th man in the stands, were quite a menace in the opening stages of the game.

The first 20 minutes of sustained attack on Zimbabwe’s goal could have seen the Warriors collapse on any other day.

But their defensive tactics, coupled with goalkeeper Washington Arubi’s solidity, ensured the Zimbabweans survived that spell.

There was a moment when it was literally Arubi versus Osimhen, with the latter always coming off second best.

With just eight minutes on the clock, Arubi dived to his right to deny the lanky Nigerian from a point-blank header.

Two minutes later, Arubi thwarted the striker’s turn-and-shoot attempt and also stopped Samuel Chukwueze’s follow-up.

At the other end, Walter Musona should have opened the scoring when he outsprinted the Nigerian rearguard, only to shoot wide of Stanley Nwabali’s goal.

The second half was largely the same, and at one point the hosts were so desperate they were trying to shoot from almost impossible positions.

The resoluteness of the Warriors was always going to pay dividends, but then everything went up in smoke when Osimhen was left unattended and nodded home the opener.

With just 15 minutes on the clock, Nigeria thought they had sealed the points, ensuring they kept Group C leaders South Africa, who are now on 13 points, in check.

And if they needed a hint of what was to come, it should have come with three minutes left to full-time.A good exchange of passes on the left culminated in the ball falling to Knowledge Musona, who was unmarked.

With Nwabali sprawling on the grass, he only needed to guide it in.
Shockingly, he was unable to measure it up properly and crashed the underside of the crossbar, much to the relief of the Nigerians, who by then had broken into party mode.

But Chirewa wouldn’t let them off the hook when his quick feet allowed him to emerge smarter from an acute angle.

Coach Michael Nees decided to congratulate Sports Minister, Kirsty Coventry first and foremost after the most successful female Olympian in Africa won the IOC presidency last week, before saluting his charges.

“We came here with the intention to win. We played well, but we could only draw. It’s a big point for us. My boys did very well, and with a bit of luck, we could have won,” said Nees.

It is the second time Zimbabwe has managed to rescue a point within five days in the same competition, after staging another massive comeback, drawing 2-2 against Benin last Thursday in Durban, South Africa.