“We expected to win”- Zimbabwe coach brags after draw with Nigeria

Nigeria were favourites to get the victory, but Zimbabwe produced a superb performance to run away with a point

Zimbabwe coach Baltemar Brito has stated that they were targeting a win against Nigeria when both teams met in their second game of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Sunday, Soccernet reports.

Zimbabwe welcomed three-time African champions Nigeria to Stade Huey in their second game of the World Cup qualifiers. The Super Eagles were the favourites to claim the victory because of their pedigree and the quality of their players. Moreover, the game was at a neutral venue- Rwanda.

However, Jose Peseiro’s lads failed to live up to the billing. They lacked chemistry, hunger, creativity, and the cutting edge.

Zimbabwe took the lead in the 26th minute via a spectacular free-kick from Walter Musona. But Nigeria had to wait till the 67th minute for Kelechi Iheanacho to score the equaliser.

However, Nigeria failed to get the winner. In fact, Zimbabwe carved out the better chances towards the end of the game.

Eventually, both sides settled for a 1-1 draw in Rwanda. Nonetheless, Zimbabwe coach Brito has stated that he was not satisfied with the result.

“They[Nigeria] are good, of course, we started the game to win. We expected to win the game. Unfortunately, we drew, but we had ambitions of winning the game,” Brito said after the game.

“The result of the game comes from the atmosphere that we’ve had from this camping. Since day one, we have felt positive vibes between the technical staff and the players.

“The players came here with open hearts to represent the country. They fought too much today, and this good performance is just about them.”

The draw against Zimbabwe could be costly for the Super Eagles because they may fall four points behind South Africa, w,mmhave play Rwanda on Monday.