Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has expressed his disappointment after his side failed to secure a victory in their crucial World Cup qualifier against South Africa.

The three-time African champions suffered a huge blow to their FIFA World Cup ambitions following their 1-1 draw against Bafana Bafana at the Free State Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.

The result ensured that Hugo Broos' side maintained a six-point gap over Nigeria with just two matches remaining in the qualifiers.

South Africa retained their commanding lead in Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria moved to 11 points—three points adrift of Gernot Rohr's Republic of Benin side on 14 points.

Speaking in a post-match reaction, Chelle stated that a draw away to South Africa is a good result, but his side had hoped for a win.

“At the beginning of the second half, we put a lot of pressure on South Africa, but we were missing something—maybe the final technical skill, maybe the last pass,” Chelle said.

“So, the draw is a good result. To get a draw in South Africa is a good result, but for us, we wanted to win. So, we are a little disappointed, but this is football.”

WDN