“He Was a Disappointment”: Adepoju Urges Chelle to Drop a Player Ahead of Nigeria vs Benin Clash
- Nigeria are still in the race to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after securing a 2-1 win against Lesotho
- The Super Eagles currently sit in third position with 14 points, behind group C leaders Benin Republic
- Former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has advised coach Eric Chelle against fielding a player against the Cheetahs on Tuesday, October 14
Super Eagles legend Mutiu Adepoju has issued an advice to coach Eric Chelle ahead of their crucial match against Benin Republic on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Tuesday, October 14.
Nigeria kept their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes alive after securing a vital 2-1 win against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, on Friday night, October 10.
Source: Getty Images
Captain William Troost-Ekong calmly converted a penalty in the 55th minute to hand Super Eagles the lead after a Lesotho defender handled Moses Simon's goal-bound shot inside the box.
Ten minutes to the end of the game, substitute Akor Adams doubled Nigeria's advantage with a composed finish after a legover following an assist from Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen, per Punch.
In the 87th minute, Lesotho pulled one back through forward Hlompho Kalake after an error from Nigeria's goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. The Chippa United goalkeeper almost gave away the match in the 90+3 minute, but the ball was an inch from entering the net.
Adepoju sends message to Chelle
Racing Santander legend Mutiu Adepoju has cautioned Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle against fielding Tolu Arokodare against Benin Republic in the must-win World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, October 14.
According to Daily Post, the 54-year-old explained that the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward failed to live up to expectations against lowly rated Lesotho in matchday nine of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Source: Getty Images
The former Real Madrid star said Nigeria would have been up in the first half, but the former Genk player failed to convert his chance. Adepoju said:
"Tolu Arokodare should have done much better with the opportunity in the first half of the game.
"If you watched the game, you would see that Arokodare and Victor Osimhen were frequently making runs to the same area instead of alternating between the near and far post.
"Eric Chelle would have substituted Arokodare at halftime as his style of play did not suit the 4-4-2 formation and attacking rhythm.”
Tolu Arokodare made way for Sevilla forward Akor Adams in the 62nd minute against the Crocodile of Lesotho.
Meanwhile, Arokodare scored his first international goal for the Super Eagles against Russia, and his second against Rwanda during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium last September.
Chelle unleashes 4 forwards versus Lesotho
Legit.ng earlier reported that Eric Chelle decided to deploy his full Arsenal when the Super Eagles take on the Crocodiles on matchday nine of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen, Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare, Ademola Lookman (Atalanta) and Moses Simon (FC Paris) all started for Nigeria in the must-win encounter in Polokwane.
Source: Legit.ng
