'Top 5 in the world' - Zimbabwe coach warns Nigeria always struggle in Rwanda despite world-class attack

Zimbabwe coach Michael Nees faced the cameras on Thursday evening, after his side's 2-2 draw with Gernot Rohr's Republic of Benin in a 2026 World Cup qualifier staged at the Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

During the press conference, he was asked about the Warriors' upcoming showdown with three-time African champions Nigeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday, March 25.

Zimbabwe came from two goals down to secure a draw against Benin, with Marshall Munetsi and Knowledge Musona's goals cancelling out first half strikes from Steve Mounié and Dokou Dodo.

Nees has heaped praise on Nigeria's attacking talent, describing the Super Eagles frontline as one of the top five in the world, but highlighted that having star players does not guarantee success on the pitch.

For the March internationals, Nigeria's new boss Eric Chelle boasts an impressive attacking lineup featuring Atalanta's Ademola Lookman, Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.

Chelle's squad is further strengthened by the in-form Genk forward Tolu Arokodare, the ever-reliable Moses Simon of Nantes, AC Milan's electrifying winger Samuel Chukwueze and Valencia's new star Umar Sadiq. 

'Nigeria is definitely in attack top five in the world. I mean if you look at the players that they have at their disposal, it's massive but sometimes the names doesn't make automatically a big performance," Nees told reporters at the post-match press conference.

The Warriors coach also pointed to Nigeria's historical struggles when playing in Rwanda, where the Super Eagles are set to face the Wasps in their next 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying match on Friday evening.

Nees recalled key moments in the past when Rwanda proved to be a stumbling block for Nigeria.

"They play tomorrow (today) in Rwanda and I can tell you, I know because I was working in Rwanda, they always struggle in Rwanda.

"They missed the World Cup in Germany when they played a draw in Rwanda in 2005, they lost against Rwanda in the last Afcon qualifier game.

"Nigeria, is from the players, absolute top level and we cannot allow that to happen again. We must be there from the beginning in our game, our concentration because the goals were a little bit gifted from us," he concluded.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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