Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho came off the bench to cancel Zimbabwe’s early lead as the pair played out a 1-all draw in Matchday Two of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers held at Huye Stadium on Sunday.
Without injured Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles’ slow start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers continued as they failed to beat Zimbabwe who are using Huye Stadium as their home ground because their national stadium in Harare failed to meet FIFA standards for the World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe started the game brightly with Tino Kadewere and Walter Musona causing problems for the Nigerian back four.
Zimbabwe looked compact in midfield with Marshall Munetsi serving as the anchor man, providing the needed cover for defenders.
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Both teams made early incursions from one vital area to another but Nigeria’s attacking force of Moses Simon and Alex Iwobi caused little problems against Zimbabwe threat.
Musona fired Zimbabwe ahead in the 26th minute as his shot went past Nigeria’s shot stopper Francis Uzoho who had been a suspect of poor performance in the afternoon.
Nigeria couldn't recover from the goal as Zimbabwe took control and dictated the pace of the game until the teams headed to their dressing rooms for a halftime break.
Nigeria coach Joao Peseiro made three changes at recess bringing on Iheanaco, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface and Osayi-Samuel for Nathan Tella, Frank Onyeka and Ola Aina respectively as he looked to strengthen his attack and defensive departments.
The trio changed the phase of the game with Nigeria pinning Zimbabwe to their own half.
The visitors’ dominance paid dividends as Iheanacho brought them level pegging in the 67th minute with a sublime effort.
Zimbabwe coach Brito Baltemar decided not to move more men forward as he tried to cope with Nigeria’s attacking pace. His players soaked the pressure and tried to catch the opposing side on the break by using the wings.
The final 15 minutes of the game saw both teams creating chances but failing to utilize them as the referee blew the final whistle.
Both teams now have two points from two games after drawing their first games with Rwanda and Lesotho respectively.