Nigerians have taken to social media to lambast Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, after his blunder nearly cost Nigeria their hard-earned 2–1 victory over Lesotho in Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The Chippa United shot-stopper, who has enjoyed a fine run as Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, came under fire after fumbling a corner that allowed Hlompho Kalake to pull one back for Lesotho in the 83rd minute.
His shaky display was compounded in stoppage time when a mix-up with defender Semi Ajayi almost gifted the visitors an equaliser.
Many fans described his outing as careless and overconfident, calling for him to be benched—or even dropped—from the national team.
Sports journalist Adepoju Samuel (@OgaNlaMedia) expressed concern, tweeting, “Nwabali is sick. He needs urgent attention.”
Another user, @iSlimfit, slammed the goalkeeper’s lack of composure, saying, “Nwabali is very indecisive and arrogantly over-confident.”
Echoing similar frustration, Biola Solace-Chukwu (@Beeorlicious) remarked that Nwabali was “trying to give the whole of Nigeria high blood pressure” after his late-game scare.
@Iam_agt (Official AGT) claimed the 29-year-old had grown complacent since cementing his place in goal. “Two costly mistakes today; his errors are becoming consistent. He needs competition,” he wrote.
Sports analyst Solace Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) took a humorous jab, saying Nwabali’s performance “has taken years off the lifespan of a population that already has the lowest life expectancy in the world.”
Others were less forgiving. @Cerebrone argued that the goalkeeper “needs serious bench,” adding that “he thinks he can’t be dropped.”
Kareem Shamsudeen (@KShamusudeen) labelled the performance “terrible goalkeeping,” while Ibukun Aluko (@IbkSports) fumed that Nwabali “needs to be punished for this! Totally unacceptable goal for Lesotho!”
On Instagram, fans echoed similar sentiments. @aviation_energyltd called for the return of Maduka Okoye, saying Nwabali “plays too much with his head,” while @okanlawon_231 urged that “someone needs to talk sense into Nwabali’s head.”
Even humour carried a sting. @xtrapro_ajikawo joked that Nwabali’s “village people” were after him, while @ismael_akanni4 warned, “Nwabali will kill us one day.”
Despite the uproar, the Super Eagles escaped with a vital win, thanks to goals from William Troost-Ekong and Akor Adams, keeping their World Cup hopes alive.
Nigeria sit third in Group C with 14 points, three behind leaders Benin Republic. The Eagles must win Tuesday’s clash in Uyo, while hoping for a favourable result in the South Africa versus Rwanda fixture, to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
