Michael Nees: "If it's over for us, it's over for Nigeria too!"

On March 25, 2025, Nigeria and Zimbabwe drew 1-1 on matchday 6 of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 74th minute, but Tawanda Chirewa equalized in the 90th minute.

In the post-match press conference, Zimbabwe's head coach praised the performance and resilience of his players in this highly contested match dominated by the Nigerians.

"Nigeria came into the match full of confidence after their victory against Rwanda, and we knew that the longer the match went on, the slower they would become, and that's exactly what happened. We showed that we don't give up, and I think with three more minutes, we would have walked away with a win because I believe your team was physically dead in defense," coach Michael Nees initially stated.

Not stopping there, the 57-year-old German coach took a jab at Nigeria regarding their position in the standings and mocked the Super Eagles' chances of qualifying. After provoking head coach Eric Chelle on the field at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nees continued his bold remarks during the press conference. ​

"We know that when things aren't going 100% Nigeria's way, they get frustrated and start to panic. I remember your captain said we should forget about getting a result here. As I said, World Cup qualification is over when it's over. If it's over for us, it's over for Nigeria too. How many points does Nigeria have? You are neither first nor second," added the Zimbabwean coach.

Nigeria is currently 4th in Group C with 7 points, while Zimbabwe holds the 6th and last place with 4 points.

Lydiane N'Po |

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Sports journalist specializing in African football, covering football news, exclusive stories and digital content for passionate fans of the game.