In a revealing update, Super Eagles coach Finidi George has shed light on the unexpected substitution of West Brom’s central defender, Semi Ajayi, during the tense closing minutes of Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
The match, held on Friday night, saw Nigeria narrowly avoiding defeat thanks to a brilliant strike by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru just thirty-seven seconds into the second half. This goal came after South Africa’s Themba Zwane had given his team the lead in the 29th minute by outmaneuvering Ajayi and his defensive partner, Calvin Bassey.
Ajayi, who had been criticized for his role in conceding the goal, was substituted ten minutes before the final whistle. Raphael Onyedika replaced him, leading to Wilfred Ndidi moving into the centre-back position while Onyedika took over Ndidi’s midfield role.
Though the substitution appeared tactical, Finidi George clarified that Ajayi had signaled to the bench that he was playing through pain and needed to come off. This move, unfortunately, meant that Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface remained on the bench for the entire game.
At the post-match press conference, Finidi explained, “We thought about bringing him (Boniface) on. He was supposed to come in but when we had Ajayi complaining that he had a knock and couldn’t continue, we had to reverse that. We have another game. Definitely, he is going to play if he’s up and doing. For me, it’s what you can give me on the pitch.”
He continued, “Everybody wants this player or that player to play but at the end of the day if the player is not performing you guys will still be shouting, ‘take him off’. Let us do our job, we know who is good to go. We have another game, we’ll see how we can play these guys.”
Ajayi entered the match against South Africa with a lack of match fitness, having played only nine minutes out of a possible 450 in West Brom’s last five games of the recently concluded season. Despite this, he had played the full duration in Nigeria’s last nine matches before the clash with Bafana Bafana.
As the Super Eagles prepare for their next challenge, the team’s management remains focused on ensuring that every player is fit and ready to contribute to their success on the field.
Stay tuned to Alaro of Nigeria for more updates on the Super Eagles and their journey towards the 2026 World Cup.
