Nigerians have taken to social media to vent their frustration at Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali after his costly mistake in Friday’s 2–1 win over Lesotho, which briefly put Nigeria’s hard-fought World Cup qualifying victory at risk, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Chippa United goalkeeper, who has enjoyed a steady run as Nigeria’s No. 1, came under fire after fumbling a corner that allowed Hlompho Kalake to pull one back for Lesotho in the 83rd minute. His nervy outing was compounded by a late mix-up with defender Semi Ajayi, which almost gifted the visitors an equaliser.
Many fans described Nwabali’s performance as “careless” and “overconfident,” with several calling for him to be dropped or benched.
Sports journalist Adepoju Samuel (@OgaNlaMedia) wrote, “Nwabali is sick. He needs urgent attention.”
User @iSlimfit added, “Nwabali is very indecisive and arrogantly overconfident,” while Biola Solace-Chukwu (@Beeorlicious) quipped that the goalkeeper was “trying to give the whole of Nigeria high blood pressure.”
@Iam_agt (Official AGT) accused the 29-year-old of complacency, saying, “Stanley Nwabali is getting too comfortable as the Super Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper. Two costly mistakes today; his mistakes are becoming consistent. He needs a competitor.”
In a similar vein, analyst Solace Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) joked that Nwabali’s display “has taken years off the lifespan of a population that already has the lowest life expectancy in the world.”
@Cerebrone argued that the goalkeeper had developed “an inflated sense of security” in the squad, writing, “He needs serious bench. It’s like he thinks he can’t be dropped.”
Kareem Shamsudeen (@KShamusudeen) described his display as “terrible goalkeeping,” adding that Nwabali “almost cost us a draw.”
Ibukun Aluko (@IbkSports) went further, demanding punishment: “Nwabali needs to be punished for this! That goal for Lesotho was totally unacceptable.”
Some fans took a more measured tone. @TaiwoMajeks urged Nwabali to improve his “game management,” while @Davidskimaa argued that “he has never been good,” suggesting Nigeria simply “don’t have better goalkeepers.”
The criticism extended to Instagram, where users also expressed anger. @aviation_energyltd called for the return of Maduka Okoye, writing, “That guy plays too much with his head like potato ruined our hope,” while @okanlawon_231 urged that “someone needs to talk sense into Nwabali’s head; he’s overdoing things.”
Others chose humour to mask their frustration — @xtrapro_ajikawo joked that Nwabali’s “village people” were after him, and @ismael_akanni4 warned, “Nwabali will kill us one day.”
Despite the backlash, Nigeria held on for a vital victory, with goals from William Troost-Ekong and Akor Adams keeping their 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes alive.
The late goal, however, has clearly unsettled fans ahead of Tuesday’s decisive clash against Benin Republic in Uyo.
Nigeria currently sit third in Group C with 14 points, three behind leaders Benin Republic. A win in their final qualifier — coupled with a favourable result in the South Africa vs Rwanda fixture — could see the Super Eagles book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
