Nigeria’s dream of returning to the World Cup stage ended in dramatic and controversial fashion on Sunday after a penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in the continental playoff final in Rabat. The match finished 1-1 after extra time before the Congolese side triumphed 4-3 on penalties, meaning the Super Eagles will miss consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1990 — a painful fall from the heights of their iconic 1994 breakthrough.
But it wasn’t only the result that drew attention. Nigeria’s manager, Éric Chelle, claimed after the match that his team had fallen victim not just to footballing mistakes but to supernatural interference. He accused DR Congo’s technical team of using “voodoo” during the penalty shootout, describing hand movements and gestures he believed were intended to influence the outcome. Chelle, visibly agitated, confronted the DR Congo staff immediately after Chancel Mbemba scored the decisive spot-kick, and had to be restrained by members of his own bench. “During the penalty shootout, the guy from Congo did some voodoo. Every time, every time, every time,” he insisted to reporters, saying what he saw amounted to “maraboutage” – a word often used in West Africa to refer to magical or spiritual interference in competitions.
DR Congo manager Sébastien Desabre downplayed the incident, saying it was “not an issue,” but Chelle challenged reporters for not raising it directly with him. Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong avoided the controversy, expressing only disappointment over the outcome. “We are devastated,” he said. “The boys gave everything over the past 10 months. The future is promising, but today is a very difficult day.”
The match itself began brightly for Nigeria, who scored after just three minutes when Frank Onyeka’s shot took a deflection into the net. But a mistake from Wilfred Ndidi soon gifted Meschak Elia an equalizer, and Nigeria’s rhythm suffered further when striker Victor Osimhen was forced off at halftime with a recurring hamstring issue. DR Congo grew stronger as the game progressed, dominating possession and seeing two goals by Fiston Mayele disallowed during a frantic extra-time period. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali pulled off a brilliant late save to stop a looping header from Mbemba with seconds remaining.
The penalty shootout initially seemed to spell doom for Nigeria, with Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missing their first two attempts. A comeback appeared possible after Nwabali saved Axel Tuanzebe’s penalty and Akor Adams, Bruno Onyemaechi and Chidera Ejuke converted theirs. But Semi Ajayi’s miss in sudden death opened the door for DR Congo, and Mbemba sealed the victory with a powerful strike. Substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu, brought on specifically for the shootout, proved decisive for DR Congo.
The result concludes a troubled qualifying journey for Nigeria that was already marked by inconsistency and narrow escapes. For DR Congo, the win keeps alive an unlikely World Cup dream — their only previous appearance was in 1974, when they competed as Zaire. They will now advance to the inter-confederation playoffs next March in Mexico, where they will face Bolivia, New Caledonia, either Iraq or the UAE, and two Concacaf teams yet to be decided. The draw takes place on Thursday.
For Nigeria, the elimination raises difficult questions about preparation, leadership, and confidence , and now, after Chelle’s accusations, about the ongoing role superstition plays in African football. What remains clear is that the Super Eagles will not be flying to North America next summer, and the disappointment will linger far beyond the final whistle.
