World Cup: Angry fans destroy Abuja pitch, technical area, as Super Eagles fail to qualify
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after drawing Ghana 1-1 on Tuesday.
Ghana qualified on an away goal advantage.
Nigeria hosted arch-rivals Ghana in the second-leg of the 2022 World Cup playoff on Tuesday at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Nigeria failed to win their match against Ghana in Abuja on Tuesday to be able to qualify for the World Cup which would have been the country’s fourth successive appearance at the global tournament.
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey scored the goal that took Ghana to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as they forced a 1-1 draw in Nigeria on Tuesday to win the African play-off on away goals.
Partey struck after 10 minutes in Abuja and although another Premier League star, William Troost-Ekong, levelled from a 22nd-minute penalty, Nigeria failed to score again. The first leg ended goalless.
The Black Stars of Ghana are back in the World Cup finals after qualifying in 2006, 2010 and 2014, but missing out four years ago.
To boost support for Super Eagles, civil servants in Abuja were given a half-day and free transport was arranged from the suburbs to ensure a capacity of 60,000 crowds cheered on Nigeria.
But the home team fell behind early on when Partey’s shot from outside the box slipped between the hands of goalkeeper Francis Uzoho and into the net.
It was the latest in a series of blunders by Nigerian goalkeepers with Maduka Okoyo blamed for the Tunisian goal that knocked his team out of the recent Africa Cup of Nations at the last-16 stage.
Troost-Ekong was the calmest person in the cauldron of noise midway through the opening half as he sent Ghana goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott the wrong way from the penalty spot to equalise.
Napoli forward Victor Osimhen had the ball in the net for Nigeria soon after, but it was ruled offside after a VAR check.
Nigeria applied constant second-half pressure, but could not break down a Ghana defence marshalled by Leicester City centre-back Daniel Amartey.
Ghana started the two-leg tie as underdogs after a dismal showing at the Cup of Nations in January, with a loss to minnows the Comoros condemning them to a humiliating first-round exit, AFP reports.
Irate fans invaded the main bowl of the Moshood Abiola Stadium destroying everything in sight immediately after Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Ghana on Tuesday, which ended the Super Eagles dream of reaching a seventh World Cup appearance in Qatar in November.
Ghana qualified for the World Cup thanks to the away goal rule after the first leg at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi ended goalless.
Eagles coach Austin Eguavoen made four changes to the team that earned a goalless draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi Friday, with Ademola Lookman on for Moses Simon, while Dennis Simon replaced the injured Samuel Chukwueze, Frank Onyeka taking the place of Kelechi Iheanacho and Calvin Bassey made his full debut ahead of Zaidu Sanusi.
Despite the Eagles bright start in front of a fully packed 60,000 capacity Abuja stadium, the Black Stars took the lead through captain Thomas Partey in the 11th minute, the Arsenal midfielder unleashing a fierce low drive, which squeezed through the diving Francis Uzoho’s hands.
Nigeria began to mount pressure on their opponents immediately after going behind and began to carve out chances in search of the equaliser.
The three-time African champions had a penalty disallowed in Kumasi by VAR after the referee had initially blew for a penalty, but in the second leg on Tuesday, they were rewarded, after Ademola Lookman was brought down inside the box.
Captain William Troost-Ekong converted the resultant penalty kick, coolly sending goalkeeper Joseph Wollacott the wrong way to draw level in the 22nd minute and send home fans at the packed stadium into a frenzy.
Striker Victor Osimhen thought he had given the Eagles the lead in the 36th minute, after the Napoli man met a long range pass from Leon Balogun near the halfway line and bullied his way past his markers and Wollacott, but VAR ruled the goal for offside.
The Eagles put virtually every foot wrong thereafter and lacked organisation, as coach Austin Eguavoen and his assistants looked helplessly on from the bench.
Fans, however, vented their anger on the celebrating Black Stars players, pelting them with water bottles until they found a way out of the newly renovated pitch.
After chasing the Ghanaians off, they then started pulling the grass as well as destroying the technical area and breaking the glass.
Efforts by security operatives to dispatch the mob by firing teargas canisters was in vain, as the fans wreaked more havoc, pelting the VIP stand from pitch side with different objects. Punch
