Former African POTY Ikpeba points finger at two Super Eagles players for DRC Congo's equaliser

Nigeria's hopes of returning to the World Cup were dashed for the second consecutive cycle following a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congp's Leopards at the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium.

Eric Chelle's side had opportunities to secure the win after taking the lead through a deflected strike from Frank Onyeka but failed to capitalise on their chances.

The missed opportunities proved costly as Meschack Elia's close-range finish in the 32nd minute levelled the score, sending the game into extra time and eventually penalties.

The equaliser came after a moment of carelessness by Iwobi, who was dispossessed in midfield.

The Fulham star's lack of urgency in tracking back compounded the error, leaving Ndidi exposed and allowing the Leopards to punish the Super Eagles.

Reflecting on the goal, Ikpeba drew comparisons to a previous defensive lapse against South Africa in the World Cup qualifiers when William Troost-Ekong inadvertently turned the ball into his own net under pressure from a Bafana Bafana player. 

"Give credit to the Congolese. Immediately he went ahead, he crossed the ball as quickly as possible. For Ndidi to react, sometimes you have to react," Ikpeba said on SuperSport, as monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com.

"It's so difficult when the ball comes with so much pace and it’s hard to react. 

"It's unfortunate that Ndidi was there. I don't know what he was doing there. A central defender should be positioned where he is. 

"They equalised because of poor defending from our Super Eagles."

Ikpeba also singled out Alex Iwobi, highlighting his lack of defensive commitment during the build-up to the goal.

"There's a phase in football when you lose the ball; the first thing a player must do is react. 

"When you have a player who is not ready to run and suffer, that's just what Iwobi showed in that situation.

 "It's not a problem to lose possession, but reacting and trying to cover for a teammate, nobody was there."

Ikpeba added that the Congolese attacker Cédric Bakambu had executed a simple but effective cross, leaving Ndidi unable to cover his defensive line.

"The number 17, Bakambu, didn’t even try to dribble. He just crossed immediately, and Ndidi could not cover his lines."

Nigeria, who were chasing a seventh appearance at the World Cup, failed to advance to the inter-confederation playoff from 23–31 March 2026.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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