The Super Eagles of Nigeria, for the second successive time, fought back to clinch a 1-1 draw with the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the second Group C 2026 World Cup qualifier played at the Huye Stadium in the Rwandan city of Butare.
Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho found the back of the net in the 67th minute to save the Super Eagles from defeat after they had gone down through Walter Musona’s free-kick.
It comes just a few days after drawing their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying against Lesotho at home with the same scoreline.
Coach Peseiro made five changes to the starting lineup, with Bruno Onyemeachi, Ola Aina, Nathan Tella, Terrim Moffi, and Moses Simon introduced.
The Eagles were aiming to improve their performance to boost their qualification campaign, which started on a dull note back home.
They, however, went behind in the first half after a thunderbolt free-kick from Walter Musona in the 26th minute beat Francis Uzoho in goal for Nigeria.
They needed to chase the game after the Zambians fought to maintain their lead until the end of the first half.
After an unimpressive first half, the Eagles upped the game and kept pushing Zimbabwe on the back foot.
The Zambians were playing far away from home due to having no approved stadium and needed the three points badly.
But it was substitute Kelechi Iheanacho who found the back of the net in the 67th minute with a curler after being teed up by Moses Simon.
The Eagles made several attempts to get a winner, but the Zimbabweans held still at the neutral ground to deny the Peseiro-led side a victory in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles currently sit second in the group, with their chances of topping the group and booking an automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup further exacerbated by their second consecutive draw in just about their second match in the group.
